Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler

Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler

Pomatorhinus erythrogenys

Silhouette: Jiekun He · PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Kathmandu

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

1,123 Verified sightings at Kathmandu
545 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler

The rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler (Erythrogenys erythrogenys) is a passerine bird in the babbler family Timaliidae that is found in the Himalayas from northeast Pakistan to Bhutan. It was formerly considered as conspecific with the red-eyed scimitar babbler that is found in eastern Myanmar and northwestern Thailand.

The rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler was formally described in 1831 by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Vigors under the binomial name Pamatorhynus erythrogenys in John Gould's book "Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains". The description was accompanied by a hand coloured illustration drawn by Elizabeth Gould. In 1924 the type locality was restricted to "Shimla–Almora". The specific epithet combines the Ancient Greek ερυθρος/eruthros meaning "red" with γενυος/genuos meaning "cheek". The rusty-cheeked scimitar babbler is now one of seven scimitar babblers placed in the genus Erythrogenys. The species was formerly regarded as conspecific with the red-eyed scimitar babbler (Erythrogenys imberbis) that is found in eastern Myanmar and northwestern Thailand. The red-eyed scimitar babbler is now considered as a separate species based on the differences in morphology... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:12

India · 2023

© dbeadle · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:10

India · 2026

© Kapish Garg · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:08

India · 2026

© GURSEWAK SINGH · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
2 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
~10%
3 Langtang National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kathmandu 🇳🇵 Nepal
~20%
2 Dehradun 🇮🇳 India
~20%
3 Islamabad 🇵🇰 Pakistan
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler in Kathmandu?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler sighting in Kathmandu on a given day, based on 1,123 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 31st most-seen of the 312 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler in Kathmandu?

April to June

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler in Kathmandu on a given day, against about 20% in July to March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler?

Between 6 and 9 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Kathmandu the best place to see a Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler?

Yes

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler sightings, Kathmandu has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Dehradun (India, about 20%) and Islamabad (Pakistan, under 5%).

Where does the Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Rusty-cheeked Scimitar-Babbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Kathmandu (1,123 verified sightings), 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.

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