Mindanao pygmy babbler

Mindanao Pygmy Babbler
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Zosteropidae
Genus:	Dasycrotapha
Species:	D. plateni
Binomial name
Dasycrotapha plateni (Blasius, 1890)
Synonyms
Mixornis Plateni (protonym) Stachyris plateni Stachyris plateni plateni Sterrhoptilus plateni

The Mindanao pygmy babbler (Dasycrotapha plateni) is a bird species endemic to the Philippines. It had been placed in the family Timaliidae, but it is a close relative of the white-eyes, however, and many taxonomists now place it in the family Zosteropidae..

Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests and tropical moist montane forests up to 1,100 meters above sea level. It is often seen in mixed flocks with other forest birds. It has been classified by the IUCN as Near-threatened due to habitat loss.

Description and taxonomy

EBird describes it as "A small bird of lowland and foothill forest and more open wooded areas on Mindanao. Reddish-brown on the upperparts and chest with a blackish face. Has fine white streaking on the head, back, and chest, a whitish belly, a pale yellow eye, and a thin black bill. Often joins mixed-species flocks and sometimes hangs upside down while feeding. Somewhat similar to Brown Tit-Babbler, but smaller, with a dark throat and chest streaked white. Voice consists of jumbled twittering.

The scientific name commemorates the German zoologist Carl Constantin Platen.

The Visayan pygmy babbler was formerly included here as a subspecies, but is usually recognized as a distinct species S. pygmaea today. Together, they were simply called "pygmy babbler". The Mindanao species is differentiated by having a strong reddish brown versus the Visayan's smoky brown plummage.

Behaviour and ecology

It feeds on small insects and small fruits. Often found in pairs or mixed species flocks that include other birds such as Mindanao blue fantail, Yellow-bellied whistler, Brown tit-babbler, Celestial monarch, Short-crested monarch, Rusty-crowned babbler. Forages fairly 3-6 meters from the forest floor, occasionally seen in the lower canopy.

Birds found in breeding condition with enlarged gonads in March and May which is in line with the general breeding season of Philippine forest birds. Their nests is reported to include fluffy seed matter. Otherwise, basically nothing is known about this bird.

Habitat and conservation status

Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forest up to 1,100 meters above sea level. It is seen on the undergrowth of primary forests or along forest edge where it is uncommon across its range.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed this species as near-threatened with the population decreasing due to the deforestation of its preferred lowland forest.

It occurs in some protected areas like Pasonanca Natural Park, Mount Matutum, Mount Apo and Mount Kitanglad but despite this actual protection and enforcement against illegal logging are lax.

Gallery

• 
  A specimen from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center

References

• BirdLife International 2004. Stachyris plateni. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 27 July 2007.
• 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.
• Moyle, R. G., C. E. Filardi, C. E. Smith, and J. Diamond. 2009. Explosive Pleistocene diversification and hemispheric expansion of a "great speciator." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 106: 1863–1868.
• Allen, D, 2020, Birds of the Philippines p298-299