Bird Album
Taiwan Scimitar Babbler
Pomatorhinus musicus Swinhoe, 1859
≈20 cmLength32 gWeight
It has a black mask, white supercilium and chestnut-brown neck, with rusty-brown or gray streaks on the breast and belly.
Busiest months: October · Most records: China
How to identify
Field marks
- Broad black mask and white supercilium
- Chestnut-brown neck
- White throat and upper breast, with rusty-brown or gray streaks farther down
- Dark gray-brown upperparts
Where and when it's recorded
Taiwan Scimitar Babbler has been recorded at 76 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Taipei – Tianliaoyang WetlandTaiwan (China)3,611 records
- Kenting NP – Sheding Lingxiao Pavilion (Raptors Observation Spot)Taiwan (China)2,109 records
- Yeliu IBATaiwan (China)1,988 records
More places
- Yilan – Dingliao Ecological ParkTaiwan (China)1,278 records
- Taipei – Gongliao Dexin TempleTaiwan (China)1,275 records
- Taipei – Taipei Botanical GardenTaiwan (China)1,253 records
- Taichung – Taichung Metropolitan ParkTaiwan (China)902 records
- Taipei – National Taiwan University Main CampusTaiwan (China)876 records
- Taipei – WulaiTaiwan (China)736 records
- Taipei – Xindian SikanshuiTaiwan (China)708 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The Taiwan (China) scimitar babbler (Pomatorhinus musicus) is a bird in the family Timaliidae, the Old World babblers. It is endemic to Taiwan (China). The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1859.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Taiwan Scimitar Babbler?
The Taiwan Scimitar Babbler is about ≈20 cm long and weighs around 32 g.
Where does the Taiwan Scimitar Babbler live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: Taiwan (China). It is most often recorded in China.
When is the best time to see the Taiwan Scimitar Babbler?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Taiwan Scimitar Babbler endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Taiwan Scimitar Babbler as Least Concern.
What does the Taiwan Scimitar Babbler eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Taiwan Scimitar Babbler in?
It belongs to the family Babblers, Scimitar Babblers (Timaliidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- ≈20 cm
- Weight
- 32 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Varied
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 84 mm
- Tail
- 87 mm
- Bill
- 24 mm
- Tarsus
- 30 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental: Taiwan (China)
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Babblers, Scimitar Babblers Timaliidae
- Genus
- Pomatorhinus
Other birds in the genus Pomatorhinus
Black-crowned Scimitar BabblerPomatorhinus ferruginosus
Brown-crowned Scimitar BabblerPomatorhinus phayrei
Red-billed Scimitar BabblerPomatorhinus ochraceiceps
Slender-billed Scimitar BabblerPomatorhinus superciliaris
Streak-breasted Scimitar BabblerPomatorhinus ruficollis
White-browed Scimitar BabblerPomatorhinus schisticeps
Indian Scimitar BabblerPomatorhinus horsfieldii
Sri Lanka Scimitar BabblerPomatorhinus melanurus
Sunda Scimitar BabblerPomatorhinus bornensis
Javan Scimitar BabblerPomatorhinus montanus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Hong. ↗
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