I came across a pair of Fluffy-backed Tit Babbler (Macronus ptilosus ptilosus) calling in the early morning. Sexing in the field is not possible, although the female is said to be ‘smaller size’ (Wells 2007). However, it is well recognised that, when calling, one bird will lead with the ‘pong, pong’ calls and the partner will make a responsive ‘snore’. The ‘pong’ is given with the head up and beak opened wide, while the ‘snore’ given with the head tilted down, neck feathers raised and beak opened very slightly. If the one leading the calls (making ‘pong’ calls) is the male then in these two images the female is anterior and male posterior. The size variation between the two is hard to appreciate.
Amar-Singh HSS (Dato’ Dr)
Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
Habitat: Broken primary forest with secondary growth
Date: 15th October 2020
Equipment: Equipment: Nikon D500 SLR with Nikon AF-S Nikkor 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR, handheld with Rode VideoMic Pro Plus Shotgun Microphone
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