Overview

Hwamei: This medium-sized olive-brown songbird has gray on the belly, faint black streaks on the head and upper breast, and faint black barring on the tail. It has a blue-white eye ring and line behind the eye, yellow bill, buff-pink legs and feet, short wings and a medium length tail. It feeds on insects and seeds. It flies with rapid wing-beats followed by short glides. Sexes are similar.

Voice Text

"Peer, pur peeya wee!"

• "Hwamei" means "painted eyebrow" in Mandarin.
• A group of babblers are collectively known as a "tower" and a "brook" of babblers.
• The Hwamei is the most popular cagebird in China.
• The Hwamei was originally believed to be a thrush on account of its thrush-like behavior and shape.

• Omao

Old World Babblers (Timaliidae)

ORDER

A large taxonomic order of one hundred forty-two families of birds that includes the larks, the vireos, and the shrikes, the order PASSERIFORMES (pronounced pas-ser-i-FOR-meez) also includes the old world babblers.

FAMILY TAXONOMY

The babblers, or Timaliidae (pronounced tih-mah-LEYE-ih-dee), are a large family of three hundred and twenty-one species in forty-nine genera found mostly in Asia and Africa.

NORTH AMERICA

There are three species of babblers in two genera that occur in North America (all introduced to Hawaii). These are the exotic sounding Red-billed Leiothrix, the Greater Necklaced Laughingthrush, and the Hwamei.

KNOWN FOR

Members of this family are most well known for their vociferous behavior (hence the name of the family).

PHYSICAL

This large, diverse family ranges from birds the size of small warblers to the jay-like laughingthrushes. The few species that occur in Hawaii also vary in size and shape. They have short and long tails, short wings, fairly long, strong legs and feet, and rather stout bills.

COLORATION

Old world babblers are mostly plumaged in shades of brown and gray. Many species also have spotting or streaks in their plumages and light colored eyes. Bright colors are limited to a few species such as the Red-billed Leiothrix with its red bill and yellow edging to the feathers in its wings and tail.

GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT

Although some members of the Timaliidae utilize non-forest habitats, the majority are birds of tropical forests. The three species that were introduced to Hawaii, the laughingthrushes and the Red-billed Leiothrix, are arboreal birds that occur in thickets and open woodlands.

MIGRATION

The babbler species that occur in North America do not migrate.

HABITS

Many members of the Timaliidae are social birds that typically occur in family groups and in mixed flocks with other bird species. They forage for small creatures by gleaning and picking them from nooks and crannies in the thick vegetation.

CONSERVATION

The old world babbler species of North America are not threatened. Some species in Asia, though, have very limited ranges and are threatened by destruction of their tropical forest habitats.

INTERESTING FACTS

Some old world babbler species are so social in nature that family groups will practically huddle together while perched.

Artist

Chris Vest