Jewel-babbler
Encyclopedia
The jewel-babblers are a genus
, Ptilorrhoa of bird
s in the Cinclosomatidae
family
. The genus contains four species that are endemic to New Guinea
. The genus was once considered to contain the Rail-babbler, but that species is now considered to belong to its own family. The genus is closely related to the better known quail-thrush
es (Cinclosoma) of New Guinea and Australia
. Together with a number of other genera they comprise the family
Cinclosomatidae, although the validity of this family as a whole has been questioned.
The jewel-babblers resemble the quail-thrushes in shape, being plump, long-tailed and short winged. They are adapted to life on the forest floor. The plumage
of this genus is the most striking divergence from the quail-thrushes, having large amounts of blue and often with chestnut on the back. The throats of all species are white and the patch is mostly surrounded by a black edge. There is moderate levels of sexual dimorphism
in the plumage, except in the Dimorphic Jewel-babbler
where the female has no blue and is all chestnut coloured. When moving they hold the body horziontally to the ground, and bob their heads back and forth in a similar fashion to pigeons, and move their tail in a fashion similar to wagtail
s.
The jewel-babblers as a whole are not a well known or studied genus.
It contains the following species
:
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, Ptilorrhoa of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s in the Cinclosomatidae
Cinclosomatidae
Cinclosomatidae is a family of passerine birds native to Australia and nearby areas. It has a complicated taxonomic history and different authors vary in which birds they include in the family. It includes at least the quail-thrushes , 5 species of ground-dwelling birds found in Australia and New...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
. The genus contains four species that are endemic to New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. The genus was once considered to contain the Rail-babbler, but that species is now considered to belong to its own family. The genus is closely related to the better known quail-thrush
Quail-thrush
Quail-thrush is the term applied to any member of the genus Cinclosoma, which contains five species of birds who are related to neither quails nor thrushes though have characteristics of both. The genus is found in Australia and New Guinea in a variety of habitats ranging from rainforest to deserts...
es (Cinclosoma) of New Guinea and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Together with a number of other genera they comprise the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Cinclosomatidae, although the validity of this family as a whole has been questioned.
The jewel-babblers resemble the quail-thrushes in shape, being plump, long-tailed and short winged. They are adapted to life on the forest floor. The plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
of this genus is the most striking divergence from the quail-thrushes, having large amounts of blue and often with chestnut on the back. The throats of all species are white and the patch is mostly surrounded by a black edge. There is moderate levels of sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
in the plumage, except in the Dimorphic Jewel-babbler
Dimorphic Jewel-babbler
The Brown-headed Jewel-babbler , also known as the Dimorphic Jewel-babbler or Brown-capped Jewel-babbler, is a species of jewel-babbler in the family Cinclosomatidae...
where the female has no blue and is all chestnut coloured. When moving they hold the body horziontally to the ground, and bob their heads back and forth in a similar fashion to pigeons, and move their tail in a fashion similar to wagtail
Wagtail
The wagtails form the passerine bird genus Motacilla. They are small birds with long tails which they wag frequently. Motacilla, the root of the family and genus name, means moving tail...
s.
The jewel-babblers as a whole are not a well known or studied genus.
It contains the following species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
:
- Spotted Jewel-babblerSpotted Jewel-babblerThe Spotted Jewel-babbler is a species of bird in the Cinclosomatidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.-References:...
(Ptilorrhoa leucosticta) - Dimorphic Jewel-babblerDimorphic Jewel-babblerThe Brown-headed Jewel-babbler , also known as the Dimorphic Jewel-babbler or Brown-capped Jewel-babbler, is a species of jewel-babbler in the family Cinclosomatidae...
(Ptilorrha geislerorum) - Blue Jewel-babblerBlue Jewel-babblerThe Blue Jewel-babbler is a species of bird in the Cinclosomatidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.-References:...
(Ptilorrhoa caerulescens) - Chestnut-backed Jewel-babblerChestnut-backed Jewel-babblerThe Chestnut-backed Jewel-babbler is a species of bird in the Cinclosomatidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea....
(Ptilorrhoa castanonota)