Rail-babbler

The Malaysian rail-babbler (Eupetes macrocerus) is a unique, brown and white songbird resembling a rail, and is the lone species in its family, Eupetidae. These birds are found on the forest floors of the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo, where they are locally common despite habitat loss but not immediately threatened with extinction. At about 28 to 30 cm in length, rail-babblers exhibit a brown plumage with a reddish head, distinctive chestnut throat, and a long, black eyestripe, along with a striking blue skin patch on the neck that is visible when they call. Both sexes look alike, with juvenile birds being duller. Their monotonous whistling call contrasts with agitated, frog-like notes. These secretive birds prefer running to flying and feed mainly on insects and spiders. Their breeding habits remain largely unknown, but they are known to lay two white unmarked eggs in a simple ground-level nest. Previously thought to be linked to other bird families, current molecular studies associate the rail-babbler most closely with the rockjumpers.