Red-eyed scimitar babbler explained

The red-eyed scimitar babbler (Erythrogenys imberbis), is a species of passerine bird in the babbler family Timaliidae. It is found in eastern Myanmar and northwestern Thailand. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler until it was split in 2024 by the IOC and Clements checklist.

Taxonomy

The red-eyed scimitar babbler was first described by Italian zoologist Tommaso Salvadori in 1889 from a specimen collected by Leonardo Fea near the mountain of Yado Taung, northeast of Leiktho in Myanmar. Salvadori placed the specimen in the genus Pomatorhinus and coined the binomial name Pomatorhinus imberbis where the specific epithet is Latin meaning "beardless".^{[1] [2]} It was later moved the genus Erythrogenys and treated as a subspecies of the rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler under the name E. e. imberbis. Following a 2023 study, it was classified as a distinct species based on morphological and vocalization differences.^{[3] [4] [5]}

There are currently two recognized subspecies:^[4]

• E. i. imberbis (Salvadori, 1889) - Kayah State, Myanmar
• E. i. celata (Deignan, 1941) - Shan State, Myanmar and northwest Thailand

Description

The red-eyed babbler can be differentiated from its relatives by its red iris, dark bill, brown-orange ear coverts, grey lore and the lack of breast streaking on most individuals.

Notes and References

1. Salvadori . Tommaso . Tommaso Salvadori . 1889 . Viaggio di Leonardo Fea nella Birmania e nelle regioni vicine XIX. Uccelli raccolti nei Monti Carin a nord-est di Tounghoo, nel Pegù presso Rangoon e Tounghoo e nel Tenasserim presso Malewoon . Italian, Latin . Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova . 2nd series . 27 . 369-438 [410] .
2. Web site: Jobling . James A. . imberbis . The Key to Scientific Names . Cornell Lab of Ornithology . 22 November 2024 .
3. Berryman . A.J. . Boesman . P. . Collar . N.J. . 2023 . Evidence from citizen science and museum specimens suggests species rank for Erythrogenys [erythrogenys] imberbis (Salvadori, 1889), 'Red-eyed Scimitar Babbler' . Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club . 143 . 3 . 375-384 . 10.25226/bboc.v143i3.2023.a14 . free .
4. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela C. Rasmussen . August 2024 . Babblers & fulvettas . IOC World Bird List Version 14.2 . International Ornithologists' Union . 24 November 2024 .
5. Web site: Clements . J.F.. James Clements (ornithologist) . Rasmussen . P.C. . Pamela C. Rasmussen . Schulenberg . T.S. . Iliff . M.J. . Fredericks . T.A. . Gerbracht . J.A. . Lepage . D. . Spencer . A. . Billerman . S.M. . Sullivan . B.L. . Smith . M. . Wood . C.L. . 2024 . The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Updates and Corrections – October 2024 . 12 November 2024 .