The grey-bellied wren-babbler is a bird species in the family Timaliidae. It was until recently considered a subspecies of the long-tailed wren-babbler; the IUCN, for example, started recognizing it as distinct species in 2008.
Region
Southeast Asia and southern China
Typical Environment
Occurs in southeastern Yunnan (China) and adjacent northern Indochina, including parts of northern Vietnam and northeastern Laos. It inhabits dense understory of evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, especially in rugged ravines and on limestone (karst) hills. The species keeps close to the ground in tangles of bamboo, shrubs, and ferns. It frequents damp gullies and stream edges where leaf litter and mossy logs provide foraging microhabitats.
Altitude Range
400–1800 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A shy understory specialist, the grey-bellied wren-babbler was long treated as a subspecies of the long-tailed wren-babbler before being recognized as a distinct species around 2008. It is most often detected by voice rather than sight, delivering ringing, accelerating series of notes from dense cover. The species favors rugged, moist, often limestone-influenced forests where it forages close to the ground.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats over very short distances
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly, in pairs, or small family groups, moving mouse-like through dense vegetation near the ground. Nests are typically well-concealed close to the ground in thick cover. Both parents are thought to share incubation and chick-rearing duties. It rarely joins mixed-species flocks, preferring dense undergrowth microhabitats.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A clear, ringing series of notes that often accelerates or rises slightly in pitch, delivered from hidden perches. Calls include sharp chips and thin, metallic ticks used to maintain contact in dense cover.
