Black-capped Babbler

Black-capped Babbler

Pellorneum capistratum

Silhouette: Rachael Joakim · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Kinabalu Park

In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%

20 Verified sightings at Kinabalu Park From 2019 to 2026
1,783 In all 7 parks
November Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Black-capped Babbler

The Javan black-capped babbler (Pellorneum capistratum) is a species of bird in the family Pellorneidae. It is endemic to the island of Java in Indonesia. The Malayan black-capped babbler (P. nigrocapitatum) and the Bornean black-capped babbler (P. capistratoides) were both formerly considered conspecific, but were split from it in 2021.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest. It forages in the understory of forests. It is sedentary. Collar, N. J. & Robson, C. 2007. 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

Song0:09

Indonesia · 2025

© Untung Sarmawi · XC1000467 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:34

Indonesia · 2016

© Mike Nelson · XC681108 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:58

Indonesia · 2023

© Panji Gusti Akbar · XC773381 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~40%
2 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~30%
3 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~30%
4 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
5 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
6 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
7 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Jakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
2 Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black-capped Babbler in Kinabalu Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-capped Babbler sighting in Kinabalu Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 182nd most-seen of the 247 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Black-capped Babbler in Kinabalu Park?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-capped Babbler in Kinabalu Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Black-capped Babbler?

Between 3 and 6 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-capped Babbler sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Where does the Black-capped Babbler sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black-capped Babbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Kinabalu Park (20 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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