The black-browed babbler (''Malacocincla perspicillata'') is a

songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 5,00 ...

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Pellorneidae The ground babblers are a family, Pellorneidae, of mostly Old World passerine birds belonging to the superfamily Sylvioidea. They are quite diverse in size and coloration, and usually characterised by soft, fluffy plumage and a tail on average t ...

. The species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

. Only a single specimen collected in the nineteenth century was known, until the species was rediscovered in

in 2020.

Habitat

The natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

of ''M. perspicillata'' is subtropical or tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s, at altitudes of . Its rediscovery in 2020 confirmed that the bird is from southeast Borneo.

Conservation status

The conservation status of ''M. perspicillata'' is insufficiently known. It was formerly classified as Vulnerable by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

, but due to the lack of information surrounding the species, its status was changed to

Data Deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

in 2008. The songbird is threatened by agriculture, logging allowed within protected areas, plantations for rubber and

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 36% of global oils produced from o ...

, and drought fires. Within the next few years, there is risk of near complete loss of dryland lowland forest in

Kalimantan Kalimantan (; ) is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area, and consists of the provinces of Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and West Kalimantan. The non-Ind ...

Rediscovery

In October 2020, ''M. perspicillata'' was rediscovered in

South Kalimantan South Kalimantan () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is the second most populous province on the island of Kalimantan, the Indonesian territory of the island of Borneo after West Kalimantan. The provincial capital was Banjar ...

by two local men, Muhammad Suranto and Muhammad Rizky Fauzan, 170 years after the last confirmed sighting. Interest in the rediscovery has drawn birdwatchers to the area and added to knowledge of the bird's behaviour, such as: "moving in and out of the limestone caves and crevices, clambering about in the rugged environment to hunt insects and other invertebrates", and its song: "a unique, loud and melodious vocalisation, often sounded in a duet." In print: The Guardian, 3 December 2022

References

Sources

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

(BLI) (2008)
2008 IUCN Redlist status changes.
Retrieved 23 May 2008 * Collar, N.J.; Robson, C. (2007): Family Timaliidae (Babblers). ''In:'' del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew; Christie, D.A. (eds.): ''

Handbook of Birds of the World The ''Handbook of the Birds of the World'' (HBW) is a multi-volume series produced by the Spanish publishing house Lynx Edicions in partnership with BirdLife International. It is the first handbook to cover every known living species of bird. ...

, Volume 12'' (Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees): 70–291. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.

External links