Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler

Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler

Macronus ptilosus

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCNTNear ThreatenedVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Danum Valley Conservation Area

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

307 Verified sightings at Danum Valley Conservation Area From 2019 to 2026
789 In all 8 parks
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler

The fluffy-backed tit-babbler (Macronus ptilosus) (Thai: นกกินแมลงหลังฟู) is a species of bird in the family Timaliidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical swampland. It is threatened by habitat loss.

There are two subspecies recognized by the International Ornithological Congress: Family Timaliidae (Babblers) pp. 70–291 in; del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Christie, D.A. eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 12. Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:19

Malaysia · 2024

© Lim Ying Hien · XC927367 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:18

Malaysia · 2023

© Joshua Chong · XC808408 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Uncertain0:16

Indonesia · 2020

© Prayitno Goenarto · XC595961 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%
2 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
3 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
4 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
5 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
6 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
7 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
8 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler in Danum Valley Conservation Area?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler sighting in Danum Valley Conservation Area on a given day, based on 307 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 66th most-seen of the 258 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 Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler in Danum Valley Conservation Area?

September and December–January

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler in Danum Valley Conservation Area on a given day, against about 10% in February, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Danum Valley Conservation Area the best place to see a Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler?

2nd of 8

Of the 8 parks where we can rate Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler sightings, Danum Valley Conservation Area ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Way Kambas National Park (Indonesia, about 30%).

Where does the Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Fluffy-backed Tit-Babbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Danum Valley Conservation Area (307 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.

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