Photo: Mike Prince from Bangalore, India / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Sooty-capped Babbler
Malacopteron affine
Sooty-capped Babbler (Malacopteron affine) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of South & Southeast Asia.
Found across 3 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Sooty-capped Babbler (Malacopteron affine) is a member of the Pellorneidae family found in South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 17.1 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Pellorneidae Ground Babblers
- Genus Malacopteron
- Species affine
Where it lives
Malay Pen., Sumatra, Banyak (west of northern Sumatra), Bangka (east of southern Sumatra) and Borneo
Quick facts
- Weight
- 17.1 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Pellorneidae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Near Threatened
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Sooty-capped Babbler is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Sooty-capped Babbler is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Sooty-capped Babbler (Malacopteron affine) belongs to the Pellorneidae family of the order Passeriformes. It occurs naturally across South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers OR Malay Pen., Sumatra, Banyak (w of n Sumatra), Bangka (e of s Sumatra) and Borneo.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 17.1 g, with a wing length of about 7.2 cm and a tail of around 6.4 cm.
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened. That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 388,000 km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Sooty-capped Babbler?
The Sooty-capped Babbler is a small bird that weighs around 17.1 g.
Where does the Sooty-capped Babbler live?
The Sooty-capped Babbler is found across South & Southeast Asia with a range covering OR Malay Pen., Sumatra, Banyak (w of n Sumatra), Bangka (e of s Sumatra) and Borneo, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Sooty-capped Babbler belong to?
The Sooty-capped Babbler (Malacopteron affine) belongs to the Pellorneidae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Sooty-capped Babbler eat?
The Sooty-capped Babbler is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Sooty-capped Babbler migrate?
The Sooty-capped Babbler is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Sooty-capped Babbler endangered?
The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.
What sound does the Sooty-capped Babbler make?
1 real field recording of the Sooty-capped Babbler — including its duet — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Sooty-capped Babbler's range?
The Sooty-capped Babbler has a mapped global range of about 388,000 km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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