Kingdom Animalia Suborder Passeri Rank Family | Class Aves Phylum Chordata Order Passerine | |
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Similar Stenostiridae, Locustellidae, Passerine, Macrosphenidae, Cettiidae | ||
The ground babblers are a family, Pellorneidae, 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.
Contents
Morphological diversity is rather high; most species resemble "warblers", jays or thrushes.
Characteristics
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.