NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Puff-throated Babbler
Pellorneum ruficeps Swainson, 1832
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The puff-throated babbler or spotted babbler (Pellorneum ruficeps) is a species of passerine bird found in Asia. They are found in scrub and moist forest mainly in hilly regions. They forage in small groups on the forest floor, turning around leaf litter to find their prey and usually staying low in the undergrowth where they can be hard to spot. However, they have loud and distinct calls, including a morning song, contact and alarm calls. It is the type species of the genus Pellorneum which may, however, currently include multiple lineages.
Wikipedia contributors, Puff-throated babbler; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:49:55.416462+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Pellorneum ruficeps Swainson, 1832
- Name authority
- Swainson, 1832
- Common name
- Puff-throated Babbler
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Pellorneidae
- Genus
- Pellorneum
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyPellorneidae Vigors & Delacour, 1946
- genusPellorneum Swainson, 1832
- speciesPellorneum ruficeps Swainson, 1832
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Pellorneum. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Javan Black-capped BabblerPellorneum capistratum (Temminck, 1823) | PellorneidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ferruginous BabblerPellorneum bicolor (R. P. Lesson, 1839) | PellorneidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bornean Black-capped BabblerPellorneum capistratoides (Strickland, 1849) | PellorneidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sulawesi BabblerPellorneum celebense (Strickland, 1849) | PellorneidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Malayan Black-capped BabblerPellorneum nigrocapitatum (Eyton, 1839) | PellorneidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- Swainson, William / Swainson, William, and John Richardson (eds.). (1832). Appendix No. 1 Characters of Genera and Sub-genera hitherto Undefined. Fauna Boreali-Americana; or the Zoology of the Northern Parts of British America. Part Second, the Birds. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:76BJ4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.