Pellorneidae – Ground Babblers & Allies
The ground babblers are a family of mostly Old World passerine birds. They are rather diverse in size and coloration, but are characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The entire family was previously included in the Timaliidae. Morphological diversity is rather high; most species resemble ‘warblers’, jays or thrushes.
They are small to medium sized birds. They have strong legs, and many are quite terrestrial. They typically have generalised bills, similar to those of a thrush or warbler. Most have predominantly brown plumage, with minimal difference between the sexes, but many more brightly coloured species also exist.
This group is not strongly migratory, and most species have short rounded wings, and a weak flight. They live in lightly wooded or scrubland environments, ranging from swamp to near-desert. They are primarily insectivorous, although many will also take berries, and the larger species will even eat small lizards and other vertebrates.
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Number of bird species: 65
(As at October 2025)
According to the recently (2025) amalgamated AviList, there are sixty-five species, in thirteen genera of Ground Babblers & Allies in the Pellorneidae family. They are:
Indian Grassbird Graminicola bengalensis
Chinese Grassbird Graminicola striatus
Large Wren-Babbler Turdinus macrodactylus
Marbled Wren-Babbler Turdinus marmoratus
Black-throated Wren-Babbler Turdinus atrigularis
Sooty-capped Babbler Malacopteron affine
Grey-breasted Babbler Malacopteron albogulare
Scaly-crowned Babbler Malacopteron cinereum
Rufous-crowned Babbler Malacopteron magnum
Moustached Babbler Malacopteron magnirostre
Melodious Babbler Malacopteron palawanense
White-hooded Babbler Gampsorhynchus rufulus
Collared Babbler Gampsorhynchus torquatus
Yellow-throated Fulvetta Schoeniparus cinereus
Rufous-winged Fulvetta Schoeniparus castaneceps
Black-crowned Fulvetta Schoeniparus klossi
Golden-fronted Fulvetta Schoeniparus variegaticeps
Rufous-throated Fulvetta Schoeniparus rufogularis
Rusty-capped Fulvetta Schoeniparus dubius
Dusky Fulvetta Schoeniparus brunneus
Puff-throated Babbler Pellorneum ruficeps
Brown-capped Babbler Pellorneum fuscocapillus
Marsh Babbler Pellorneum palustre
Malayan Black-capped Babbler Pellorneum nigrocapitatum
Bornean Black-capped Babbler Pellorneum capistratoides
Javan Black-capped Babbler Pellorneum capistratum
Short-tailed Babbler Pellorneum malaccense
Ashy-headed Babbler Pellorneum cinereiceps
Spot-throated Babbler Pellorneum albiventre
Buff-breasted Babbler Pellorneum tickelli
Sumatran Babbler Pellorneum buettikoferi
Temminck’s Babbler Pellorneum pyrrogenys
White-chested Babbler Pellorneum rostratum
Ferruginous Babbler Pellorneum bicolor
Sulawesi Babbler Pellorneum celebense
Swamp Prinia Laticilla cinerascens
Rufous-vented Prinia Laticilla burnesii
Brown Illadopsis Illadopsis fulvescens
Pale-breasted Illadopsis Illadopsis rufipennis
Tanzania Illadopsis Illadopsis distans
Mountain Illadopsis Illadopsis pyrrhoptera
Blackcap Illadopsis Illadopsis cleaveri
Scaly-breasted Illadopsis Illadopsis albipectus
Spotted Thrush-babbler Illadopsis turdina
Puvel’s Illadopsis Illadopsis puveli
Rufous-winged Illadopsis Illadopsis rufescens
Striped Wren-Babbler Kenopia striata
Striated Wren-Babbler Ptilocichla mindanensis
Bornean Wren-Babbler Ptilocichla leucogrammica
Falcated Wren-Babbler Ptilocichla falcata
Eyebrowed Wren-Babbler Napothera epilepidota
Long-billed Wren-Babbler Napothera malacoptila
Sumatran Wren-Babbler Napothera albostriata
White-throated Wren-Babbler Napothera pasquieri
Naung Mung Scimitar Babbler Napothera naungmungensis
Short-tailed Scimitar Babbler Napothera danjoui
Abbott’s Babbler Malacocincla abbotti
Horsfield’s Babbler Malacocincla sepiaria
Black-browed Babbler Malacocincla perspicillata
Mountain Wren-Babbler Gypsophila crassa
Streaked Wren-Babbler Gypsophila brevicaudata
Annam Limestone Wren-Babbler Gypsophila annamensis
Rufous Limestone Wren-Babbler Gypsophila calcicola
Variable Limestone Wren-Babbler Gypsophila crispifrons
Rusty-breasted Wren-Babbler Gypsophila rufipectus
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Rufous-vented Grass Babbler Laticilla burnesii
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map -
Rufous-vented Grass Babbler Laticilla burnesii
Species AccountSpecialized, slender prinia-like babbler. Restricted to lowland grassy riverine plains, where it typically stays low in the vegetation in small flocks.