Pellorneidae Ground Babblers and Allies

This family of Asian forest birds is another subset of the once enormous timaliid babbler family. The ground babblers are long-legged, short-tailed birds with a simple repertoire of high whistled songs. Spending most of their time on the ground or in lower vegetation, they are very often heard long before they are seen, in part due to their earthtoned plumage, generally light beneath and with a crown or mask to break up their outlines. The fulvettas in this family are generic passerine birds mostly clad in plain browns, the Golden-fronted Fulvetta being the exception to this rule. Generally common in forest and woodland mid-story, pellorneids repeat their simple songs most of the day, often still singing when most other forest inhabitants have gone silent.