The buff-banded thicketbird or buff-banded bushbird, is a species of Old World warbler in the family Locustellidae. It is found on Timor island.
Region
Lesser Sunda Islands
Typical Environment
Endemic to Timor Island, occurring in both Timor-Leste and Indonesian West Timor. It favors dense understory in monsoon woodland, riverine thickets, bamboo, and secondary scrub. The species also uses forest edges, overgrown clearings, and degraded brush near cultivation where cover remains. It generally avoids open grassland and prefers tangled vegetation where it can move low and unseen.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A secretive skulk of dense undergrowth, the buff-banded thicketbird is more often heard than seen, giving insect-like trills from cover. It has a distinctive buff band across the upper breast that helps separate it from other drab warblers. Taxonomy has been debated, and it has been placed in several genera within the Locustellidae. It persists in both natural thickets and secondary scrub on Timor.
Temperament
skulking and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and direct between cover
Social Behavior
Typically solitary or in pairs, moving mouse-like through dense vegetation. Likely monogamous, with nests placed low in thick cover or grass tussocks. Both adults are thought to share in provisioning the young, as in many Locustellidae.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a sustained, insect-like trill or reeling sequence delivered from hidden perches, often at dawn and dusk. Calls include sharp ticks and soft churrs that can be hard to locate in dense thickets.
