Mourning babbler

Mourning babbler
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Pellorneidae
Genus:	Pellorneum
Species:	P. malaccense
Binomial name
Pellorneum malaccense (Hartlaub, 1844)

The short-tailed babbler (Pellorneum malaccense) is a species of bird in the family Pellorneidae.It is found in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand as well as the islands of Sumatra and Borneo (and some of the smaller surrounding islands).

Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests. The species is generally solitary, not joining larger mixed-species flocks, instead foraging as singles or pairs. They forage in the understory on the ground on a variety of insects including beetles, grasshoppers, and ants. Like other babblers they will use their foot to grasp food items, an unusual behaviour for passerine birds.

The short-tailed babbler is locally common at a number of places within its range but is considered near-threatened due to the loss of lowland forest in its range.

References

• Collar, N. J. & Robson, C. 2007. Family Timaliidae (Babblers) pp. 70 – 291 in; del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D.A. eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 12. Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.