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Trichastoma rostratum Blyth, 1842
| Family Name: | Timaliidae |
| Taxonomic Group: | Vertebrates (Bird) |
| Common Name: | White-chested Babbler, Blyth's Jungle Babbler |
Name
Ecology, Habitat & Location
| Ecological Notes | A unique babbler with two niches in Singapore. A small population survives in swampy areas and streams inside the protected catchment forest. Outside the catchment area, splinter populations exist in six different locations in the mangrove habitat. Like most Trichastoma babblers, it frequents the lower vegetation of its habitats. Usually solitary except during the breeding season. |
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| Habitats | Forest, Mangroves, Freshwater Swamp Forest |
| Distribution | Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong Besar. Formerly recorded from Senoko, Ulu Seletar, Loyang and Pasir Ris but now extirpated from these areas. This species occurs in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo. |
| Nature Reserves | Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve |
| Nature Areas | Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin |
Conservation
| Trends & Threats | Habitat loss, especially of the mangrove populations. |
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| Scientific Interest & Potential Value | Potentially an indicator of the quality of swamp forest and water edge forest habitat. |
| Conservation Notes | Population estimated at between 20-50 birds. The highly threatened mangrove populations at Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong Besar are protected under the Singapore Green Plan as nature areas but their long-term future is still uncertain. |
Status
| Species Status | Resident |
|---|---|
| Conservation Status | Rare |
| Singapore Red Data Book Status | Critically Endangered (CR) [2008] |
Photos
References
| References | Davison, G.W.H., Ng, P.K.L. & Ho, H.C (Eds.). 2008. The Singapore Red Data Book (2nd Edition). Singapore: Nature Society (Singapore). 285pp Wang, L.K. & Hails, C.J. 2007. An annotated checklist of the birds of Singapore. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement no. 15. 179pp |
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