Babbler of Vietnam – Timaliidae
With 20 species Babblers of Vietnam, occurring over the country. The Babblers family has a rainbow in their family appearance, some species are really hard to see, and some are easy but this family has a private special such as Chestnut-capped Babbler has a redhead, Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler has a long and curved beak and Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler’s bill like using a lipstick of Louis Vuitton.
You may know: Morphological diversity is rather high; most species resemble “warblers”, jays, or thrushes. This group is among those Old World bird families with the highest number of species still being discovered.
The overview of Babblers families
The Old World Babblers or Timaliidae are a family of mostly Old World passerine birds. They are rather diverse in size and coloration, but are characterized by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The timaliids are one of two unrelated groups of birds known as Babblers, the other being the Australasian Babblers of the family Pomatostomidae (also known as pseudo-babblers).
Timaliids are small to medium birds. They have strong legs, and many are quite terrestrial. They typically have generalized bills, similar to those of 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 colored species also exist.
This group is not strongly migratory, and most species have short-rounded wings and 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.
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
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Babblers of Vietnam species note

Pale-throated Wren Babbler Spelaeornis kinneari
Status: Rare Local Resident – Vulnerable
Best time to watch & Photo: Feb-Apr
Tour cover: North-West
Hotspot: Sa Pa – Fansipan Moutain

Bar-winged Wren Babbler Spelaeornis troglodytoides
Status: Rare Local Resident
Best time to watch & Photo: Feb-Apr
Tours: North-West
Hotspot: Sa Pa – Fansipan Moutain

Nonggang Babbler Stachyris nonggangensis
Status: Rare Local Resident
Best time to watch & Photo: Feb-Apr
Tours: North-East
Hotspot: Dalat

Coral-billed Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus ferruginosus
Status: Common resident
Best time to watch & Photo: Feb-Apr
Tours: Central Highland & Northern
Hotspot: Kon Tum, Tam Dao

Slender-billed Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus superciliaris
Status: Uncommon resident
Best time to watch & Photo: Feb-Apr
Tours: North-West
Hotspot: Sa Pa – Fansipan Moutain

Golden Babbler Cyanoderma chrysaeum
Status: Uncommon resident
Best time to watch & Photo: Feb-Apr
Tours: Highlands
Hotspot: Kon Tum, Sa Pa – Fansipan Mt

Chestnut-capped Babbler Timalia pileata
Status: Fairly Common Resident (Throughout)
Best time to watch & Photo: Feb-Apr
Tours: Throughout
Hotspot: Cat Tien, Nui Dinh, Ma Da

White-browed Scimitar Babbler Pomatorhinus schisticeps
Status: Common Resident
Best time to watch & Photo: Jun-Aug
Tours: Southern & Central Highlands
Hotspot: Kon Tum, Dalat
List of all Babblers in Vietnam
Name | Level | |
1 | Chestnut-capped Babbler | Easy |
2 | Gray-faced Tit-Babbler | Easy |
3 | Pin-striped Tit-Babbler | Easy |
4 | Golden Babbler | Easy |
5 | Rufous-capped Babbler | Easy |
6 | Buff-chested Babbler | Easy |
7 | Bar-winged Wren-Babbler | Easy |
8 | Brown-crowned Scimitar-Babbler | High |
9 | Red-billed Scimitar-Babbler | Easy |
10 | Slender-billed Scimitar-Babbler | Easy |
11 | Streak-breasted Scimitar-Babbler | High |
12 | White-browed Scimitar-Babbler | High |
13 | Large Scimitar-Babbler | Easy |
14 | Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler | High |
15 | Black-streaked Scimitar-Babbler | High |
16 | Gray-throated Babbler | Easy |
17 | Nonggang Babbler | High |
18 | Sooty Babbler (Endemic) | Easy |
19 | Spot-necked Babbler | Easy |
20 | Pale-throated Wren-Babbler | High |
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