Ashy Tailorbird

Ashy Tailorbird

Orthotomus ruficeps

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
at Bako National Park

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

61 Verified sightings at Bako National Park From 2019 to 2026
3,927 In all 10 parks
July Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Ashy Tailorbird

The ashy tailorbird (Orthotomus ruficeps) is a species of songbird from Southeast Asia, formerly placed in the "Old World warbler" assemblage, it but now placed in the family Cisticolidae. The ashy tailorbird was described by the French ornithologist René Lesson in 1830. It was once treated as being conspecific (the same species) as the olive-backed tailorbird, but the two species are genetically distinct and act as such where their range overlaps in Java. Nine subspecies have been described.

The species is found across Southeast Asia, ranging from southern Myanmar and southern Thailand through the Malay Peninsula and Singapore. It is found widely across Greater Sunda Islands, namely Borneo, Sumatra and Java, as well as smaller islands near these, including the Philippine island of Mapun (which is close to Borneo). Another disjunct population is found in southern Vietnam and Cambodia.

Its natural habitats is typically lowland forests close to the coast, but it has been recorded up to 900 m (3,000 ft) on Sumatra and Borneo. It can occupy a range of forested habitats including mangrove forest, secondary forest, swamp forest and scrubland... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:37

Singapore · 2026

© Joan Theng · XC1180082 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:09

Malaysia · 2024

© Lim Ying Hien 林勇贤 · XC1160795 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Duet0:21

Singapore · 2025

© Ding Li Yong · XC1032795 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~60%
2 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~50%
3 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~50%
4 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~40%
5 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%
6 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
7 Tanjung Puting National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
8 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
9 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
10 Kerinci Seblat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Ho Chi Minh City 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~50%
2 Kuching 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~30%
3 Cần Thơ 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~20%
4 Singapore 🇸🇬 Singapore
~20%
5 Johor Bahru 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
6 Padang 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
7 Jakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
8 Phnom Penh 🇰🇭 Cambodia
~10%
9 Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Ashy Tailorbird in Bako National Park?

Likely

About 50% of wildlife watchers report an Ashy Tailorbird sighting in Bako National Park on a given day, based on 61 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 10th most-seen of the 70 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Ashy Tailorbird in Bako National Park?

June and July

In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report an Ashy Tailorbird in Bako National Park on a given day, against about 30% in February–April and September–October, the lowest months. November and December have too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see an Ashy Tailorbird?

Between 2 and 5 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ashy Tailorbird sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Bako National Park the best place to see an Ashy Tailorbird?

2nd of 10

Of the 10 parks where we can rate Ashy Tailorbird sightings, Bako National Park ranks 2nd at about 50%. The best odds are in Sepilok (Malaysia, about 60%). All parks ranked.

Where does the Ashy Tailorbird sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Ashy Tailorbird is recorded against all the birds logged in Bako National Park (61 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Bako National Park