The glissando babbler is a species of bird in the ground babbler family Pellorneidae. It is found on the Indonesian islands of Bangka and Belitung as well as west and southwest Borneo. It was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the short-tailed babbler, now renamed the mourning babbler.
Region
Sundaland (Bangka, Belitung, and western–southern Borneo)
Typical Environment
Occurs on the Indonesian islands of Bangka and Belitung, and in west and southwest Borneo. It favors primary and mature secondary lowland evergreen forests with dense understory. Often found in peat-swamp and heath (kerangas) forests where leaf litter is abundant. Typically keeps close to the forest floor and thickets along shaded trails and stream edges.
Altitude Range
0–1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Recently recognized as a distinct species split from the short-tailed babbler complex, it is named for its characteristic sliding, descending whistle. It spends most of its time in dense understory and leaf litter, making it easier to detect by voice than by sight. Ongoing lowland forest loss in its limited range likely affects local populations.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low to the ground
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, sometimes family parties. Nests are placed low in dense vegetation or near the ground, with both parents involved in care. Territorial duets and responsive countersinging are common during breeding.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a clear, descending series of whistles delivered as a smooth glissando, often repeated. Calls include soft chips and thin whistles used for contact in dense cover.
Plumage
Compact, short-tailed babbler with warm rufous-brown crown and nape, greyish face and sides of head, olive-brown upperparts, and buff to warm brown underparts with paler throat.
Diet
Primarily takes small arthropods such as beetles, ants, termites, spiders, and other leaf-litter invertebrates. Occasionally consumes small snails and other soft-bodied prey. May take a few small berries opportunistically.
Preferred Environment
Forages on or near the forest floor in deep leaf litter and among tangled understory. Often probes rot, mossy logs, and the base of buttress roots, and sometimes follows small ant swarms at low intensity.
