Trichastoma rostratum
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The Malayan swamp babbler (Pellorneum rostratum), previously named the white-chested babbler, is a species of bird in the ground babbler family, Pellorneidae, that is found in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, the Riau Islands, the Lingga Islands and the island of Belitung. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Bornean swamp babbler (Pellorneum macropterum).
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. 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 →
Recording0:08
Malaysia · 2025
© Tim · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Recording0:36
Malaysia · 2011
© dbeadle · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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Thailand · 2023
© BioM_Akekachoke.B · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tanjung Puting National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Bako National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 7 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 8 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 9 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a White-chested Babbler sighting in Kinabalu Park on a given day, based on 22 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.
October
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-chested Babbler in Kinabalu Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to September, the lowest months.
Between midnight and 3 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-chested Babbler 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.
9th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate White-chested Babbler sightings, Kinabalu Park ranks 9th at under 5%. The best odds are in Tanjung Puting National Park (Indonesia, about 40%), Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (Malaysia, about 40%) and Bako National Park (Malaysia, about 20%).
Same family: Pellorneidae
The closest relatives of the White-chested Babbler that you can see in Kinabalu Park (family Pellorneidae, Ground Babblers and Allies) are Temminck's Babbler (about 20%) and Mountain Wren-Babbler (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-chested Babbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Kinabalu Park (22 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.
