Old World babbler

Timaliids are small to medium birds. They have strong legs, and many are quite terrestrial. They typically have generalised bills, similar to those of a thrush or warbler, except for the scimitar babblers which, as their name implies, have strongly decurved bills. Most have predominantly brown plumage, with minimal difference between the sexes, but many more brightly coloured species also exist.[1]

This group is not strongly migratory, and most species have short rounded wings, and a weak flight. They live in lightly wooded or scrubland environments, ranging from swamp to near-desert. They are primarily insectivorous, although many will also take berries, and the larger species will even eat small lizards and other vertebrates.[1]

Typical babblers live in communities of around a dozen birds, jointly defending a territory. Many even breed communally, with a dominant pair building a nest, and the remainder helping to defend and rear their young. Young males remain with the group, while females move away to find a new group, and thus avoid inbreeding. They make nests from twigs, and hide them in dense vegetation.[1]

The systematics of Old World babblers have long been contested. During much of the 20th century, the family was used as a "wastebin taxon" for numerous hard-to-place Old World songbirds (such as Picathartidae and Pnoepygidae, as well as the New World species the wrentit). The German ornithologist Ernst Hartert summarized this attitude with the statement that, in the passerines: "Was man nicht unterbringen kann, sieht man als Timalien an." (What one can't place systematically is considered an Old World babbler).[2]

The most obviously misplaced taxa were removed piecemeal towards the end of the last century. Since then, with the aid of DNA sequence data, it has been confirmed that even the remaining group is not monophyletic. Analysis of mtDNA cytochrome b and 12S/16S rRNA data (Cibois 2003a) spread the Timaliidae that were studied across what essentially was a badly resolved polytomy with Old World warblers and white-eyes. As the typical warblers (genus Sylvia) grouped with some presumed timaliids (such as the fulvettas), it was suggested that some Sylviidae should be moved to the Timaliidae.

The phylogenetic relationships between Timaliidae and other families was determined in a molecular phylogenetic study by Tianlong Cai and collaborators that was published in 2019. It is shown in the cladogram below:[3][4]

The cladogram below shows the relationships between the genera. These were determined in the same study by Cai and collaborators.[3][4]

List of genera

The family as currently constituted includes 58 species divided into the following ten genera:[4]

Image	Genus	Living species
	Erythrogenys Baker, 1930 – scimitar-babblers	Large scimitar babbler, Erythrogenys hypoleucos Black-necklaced scimitar babbler, Erythrogenys erythrocnemis Black-streaked scimitar babbler, Erythrogenys gravivox Spot-breasted scimitar babbler, Erythrogenys mcclellandi Grey-sided scimitar babbler, Erythrogenys swinhoei Rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler, Erythrogenys erythrogenys
	Pomatorhinus Horsfield, 1821 – scimitar-babblers	Indian scimitar babbler, Pomatorhinus horsfieldii Sri Lanka scimitar babbler Pomatorhinus melanurus White-browed scimitar babbler, Pomatorhinus schisticeps Javan scimitar babbler, Pomatorhinus montanus Sunda scimitar babbler, Pomatorhinus bornensis Streak-breasted scimitar babbler, Pomatorhinus ruficollis Taiwan scimitar babbler, Pomatorhinus musicus Red-billed scimitar babbler, Pomatorhinus ochraceiceps Black-crowned scimitar babbler, Pomatorhinus ferruginosus Brown-crowned scimitar babbler, Pomatorhinus phayrei Slender-billed scimitar babbler, Pomatorhinus superciliaris
	Spelaeornis David & Oustalet, 1877 – typical wren-babblers	Rufous-throated wren-babbler, Spelaeornis caudatus Mishmi wren-babbler, Spelaeornis badeigularis Bar-winged wren-babbler, Spelaeornis troglodytoides Naga wren-babbler, Spelaeornis chocolatinus Grey-bellied wren-babbler, Spelaeornis reptatus Chin Hills wren-babbler, Spelaeornis oatesi Pale-throated wren-babbler, Spelaeornis kinneari Tawny-breasted wren-babbler, Spelaeornis longicaudatus
	Stachyris Hodgson, 1844	White-breasted babbler, Stachyris grammiceps Sooty babbler, Stachyris herberti Nonggang babbler, Stachyris nonggangensis Grey-throated babbler, Stachyris nigriceps Grey-headed babbler, Stachyris poliocephala Spot-necked babbler, Stachyris strialata Snowy-throated babbler, Stachyris oglei Chestnut-rumped babbler, Stachyris maculata White-necked babbler, Stachyris leucotis Black-throated babbler, Stachyris nigricollis White-bibbed babbler, Stachyris thoracica Sikkim wedge-billed babbler, Stachyris humei Cachar wedge-billed babbler, Stachyris roberti
	Cyanoderma Salvadori, 1874[5]	Rufous-fronted babbler Cyanoderma rufifrons Rufous-capped babbler Cyanoderma ruficeps Black-chinned babbler Cyanoderma pyrrhops Golden babbler Cyanoderma chrysaeum Chestnut-winged babbler Cyanoderma erythropterum Crescent-chested babbler Cyanoderma melanothorax Buff-chested babbler Cyanoderma ambiguum
	Dumetia Blyth, 1852	Tawny-bellied babbler, Dumetia hyperythra Dark-fronted babbler, Dumetia atriceps
	Mixornis Blyth, 1842 – tit-babblers	Pin-striped tit-babbler, Mixornis gularis Bold-striped tit-babbler, Mixornis bornensis Grey-cheeked tit-babbler, Mixornis flavicollis Kangean tit-babbler, Mixornis prillwitzi Grey-faced tit-babbler, Mixornis kelleyi
	Macronus Jardine & Selby, 1835 – tit-babblers	Brown tit-babbler, Macronus striaticeps Fluffy-backed tit-babbler, Macronus ptilosus
	Timalia Horsfield, 1821	Chestnut-capped babbler, Timalia pileata
	Melanocichla Sharpe, 1883	Black laughingthrush, Melanocichla lugubris Bare-headed laughingthrush, Melanocichla calva

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Timaliidae.

• Babbler videos on the Internet Bird Collection