Turdoides Explained

Turdoides is a genus of passerine birds in the laughingthrush family Leiothrichidae. The species are distributed across Africa and southern Asia and are typically fairly large, long-tailed birds which forage in noisy groups. The majority of species have drab brown or grey-brown plumage. Several species that were included in Turdoides in the past have been reassigned to Argya following a 2018 study that found multiple clades.^[1]

The genus Turdoides was introduced in 1826 by the German physician Philipp Jakob Cretzschmar specifically for the white-headed babbler.^[2] The name combines the thrush genus Turdus with the Ancient Greek -oidēs meaning "resembling".^[3]

Species

The genus contains the following 19 species:^[4]

• Brown babbler, Turdoides plebejus
• Bare-cheeked babbler, Turdoides gymnogenys
• Arrow-marked babbler, Turdoides jardineii
• Scaly babbler, Turdoides squamulata
• White-rumped babbler, Turdoides leucopygia
• White-headed babbler, Turdoides leucocephala
• Blackcap babbler, Turdoides reinwardtii
• Dusky babbler, Turdoides tenebrosa
• Southern pied babbler, Turdoides bicolor
• Northern pied babbler, Turdoides hypoleuca
• Black-lored babbler, Turdoides sharpei
• Black-faced babbler, Turdoides melanops
• Hartlaub's babbler, Turdoides hartlaubii
• Hinde's babbler, Turdoides hindei
• Spiny babbler, Turdoides nipalensis
• White-throated mountain babbler, Turdoides gilberti – previously in Kupeornis
• Red-collared babbler, Turdoides rufocinctus – previously in Kupeornis
• Chapin's babbler, Turdoides chapini – previously in Kupeornis
• Capuchin babbler, Turdoides atripennis – previously in monotypic Phyllanthus

References

• Collar, N. J. & Robson C. 2007. Family Timaliidae (Babblers) pp. 70 – 291 in; del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D.A. eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 12. Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Notes and References

1. 10.1111/zsc.12296. Comprehensive phylogeny of the laughingthrushes and allies (Aves, Leiothrichidae) and a proposal for a revised taxonomy. Zoologica Scripta. 47. 4. 428–440. 2018. Cibois. Alice. Gelang. Magnus. Alström. Per. Pasquet. Eric. Fjeldså. Jon. Ericson. Per G. P.. Olsson. Urban. 51883434 .
2. Book: Cretzschmar, Philipp Jakob . Philipp Jakob Cretzschmar . Rüppell . Vögel . Eduard . Eduard Rüppell . 1826 . Atlas zu der Reise im nördlichen Afrika . 1826-1828 . German . Frankfurt am Main . Heinr. Ludw. Brönner . 1–55 [6–7, plate 4] .
3. Book: Jobling, James A. . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 392 .
4. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . 2019 . Laughingthrushes and allies . World Bird List Version 10.1 . International Ornithologists' Union . 16 January 2019 .