Malacocincla abbotti
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Abbott's babbler (Malacocincla abbotti) is a species of bird in the family Pellorneidae. It is widely distributed along the Himalayas in South Asia and extending into the forests of Southeast Asia. They are short-tailed and stout birds which forage in pairs in dense undergrowth close to the ground and their presence is indicated by their distinctive calls.
Abbott's babbler was described by the English zoologist Edward Blyth in 1845 and given the binomial name Malacocincla abbotti. The genus name Malacocincla combines the Ancient Greek malakos meaning "soft" with modern Latin cinclus, meaning "thrush"; referring to the birds' full and drooping plumage. The specific name abbotti was chosen by Blyth to honour the specimen collector, Lieutenant Colonel J. R. Abbott (1811–1888), who served in British India as Assistant Commissioner of the Arakan from 1837 to 1845. Blyth erected the new genus Malacocincla for this species, but subsequent workers placed the species in Turdinus and Trichastoma. A revision reinstated its placement in Malacocincla in 1985. A 2001 study confirmed the cohesiveness of the Trichastoma group but a 2012 study shows that M. abbotti and M. sepiaria are... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 3 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 4 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 5 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 6 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 8 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 10 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 11 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 12 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 2 | Kuala Lumpur | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Dhaka | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Abbott's Babbler sighting in Royal Manas National Park on a given day, based on 42 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 253rd most-seen of the 388 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Abbott's Babbler in Royal Manas National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–July and October–December, the lowest months. That is one of Royal Manas National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 930 mm in July. August and September have too few records to rate.
Between 2 and 5 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Abbott's Babbler sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
9th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Abbott's Babbler sightings, Royal Manas National Park ranks 9th at under 5%. The best odds are in Taman Negara National Park (Malaysia, about 30%), Khao Luang National Park (Thailand, about 30%) and Cat Tien National Park (Vietnam, about 30%).
Same family: Pellorneidae
The closest relatives of the Abbott's Babbler that you can see in Royal Manas National Park (family Pellorneidae, Ground Babblers and Allies) are Nepal Fulvetta (about 30%), White-hooded Babbler (about 20%) and Puff-throated Babbler (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Abbott's Babbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Royal Manas National Park (42 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.
