White-chested Babbler

White-chested Babbler

Trichastoma rostratum

Silhouette: PhyloPic

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Tanjung Puting National Park

In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%

47 Verified sightings at Tanjung Puting National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,388 In all 9 parks
January Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the White-chested Babbler

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 →

Sounds

Recording0:08

Malaysia · 2025

© Tim · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Recording0:36

Malaysia · 2011

© dbeadle · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:20

Thailand · 2023

© BioM_Akekachoke.B · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Tanjung Puting National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
2 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~40%
3 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
4 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
5 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
6 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
7 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
8 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
9 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-chested Babbler in Tanjung Puting National Park?

Likely

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a White-chested Babbler sighting in Tanjung Puting National Park on a given day, based on 47 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 13th most-seen of the 66 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a White-chested Babbler in Tanjung Puting National Park?

January

In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a White-chested Babbler in Tanjung Puting National Park on a given day, against about 20% in May and June, the lowest months. April has too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a White-chested Babbler?

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.

Is Tanjung Puting National Park the best place to see a White-chested Babbler?

Yes

Of the 9 parks where we can rate White-chested Babbler sightings, Tanjung Puting National Park has the highest daily chance: about 40%. Next come Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (Malaysia, about 40%) and Bako National Park (Malaysia, about 20%).

Which relatives of the White-chested Babbler live in Tanjung Puting National Park?

Same order: Passeriformes

The closest relatives of the White-chested Babbler that you can see in Tanjung Puting National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Malaysian Pied-Fantail (about 80%), Black-and-red Broadbill (about 60%) and Olive-winged Bulbul (about 50%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the White-chested Babbler sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-chested Babbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Tanjung Puting National Park (47 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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