Moustached Babbler

Moustached Babbler

Scientific Name: Malacopteron magnirostre

Malay Name: Kekicau-Cangkuk Bermisai

Chinese Name: 须树鹛

Range: Found from the Thai-Malay Peninsula to Sumatra and Borneo

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: magnirostre, cinereocapilla.

Local Subspecies: magnirostre

Size: 16.5-18 cm

Identification: Adult has rather uniform olive-brown crown and mantle, greyish head-sides, distinctive dark moustachial stripe, whitish underparts with vague streaking across breast and strongly rufescent tail. Juvenile has indistinct moustachial and pinkish lower mandible.

Similar looking species: Abbott's Babbler, Mourning Babbler

Habitat: Forest

Behaviour/Ecology: Forages at the lower mid-stratum and understorey of forests.

Local Status: Former resident

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Location: Central Catchment Forest. Last confirmed sighting of one bird was in 1993 at MacRitchie Reservoir.

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Moustached Babbler at Panti Forest. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Moustached Babbler at Taman Negara. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Moustached Babbler at Taman Negara. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Moustached Babbler)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Malacopteron magnirostre. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22715873A94472609.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Robson, C. (2014). Field guide to the birds of South-East Asia (Second Edition). Bloomsbury Publishing, London.

Wells, D. R. (1999). The Birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula (Vol. 1). Academic Press, London.

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Moustached Babbler. Retrieved on June 15, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/moustached-babbler.

To top