Moustached Babbler

SCI Name:  Malacopteron magnirostre
Protonym:  Alcippe magnirostris Cat.BirdsMus.East-Ind.Co.[Horsfield & Moore] 1 p.xiv,407
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Pellorneidae / Malacopteron
Taxonomy Code:  moubab1
Type Locality:  Malacca.
Author:  Moore, F
Publish Year:  1854
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

MALACOPTERON
(Pellorneidae; Ϯ Rufous-crowned Babbler M. magnum) Gr. μαλακος malakos  soft; πτερον pteron  feather; "Genus MALACOPTERON, n.g.  Rostrum fere capiti æquale, altius quam latum, ad apicem incisum, ultraque nares compressum, ad basim setis armatum; mandibula inferiore ad basim tumida.  Tarsi mediocres; digiti externi vix longiores quam interni, posteriores medios æquantes; ungues compressi posteriores longissimi; scuta tarsi vix divisa.  Alæ breves, rotundatæ; pennis secondariis primarias fere æquantibus; prima pennarum spuria, secunda breviore tertia, quæ longissima est.  Cauda paucarum pennarum composita, rotundata; tectricibus superioribus mollibus et longis.   Obs. This genus is allied to Microtarsus in some particulars and to Brachipus in others: it agrees with both in the soft and downy nature of the tail coverts.    MALACOPTERON MAGNUM.  ...  Native name, Burong Map.    MALACOPTERON CINEREUS.  ...  Native name, Merfa." (Eyton 1839); "Malacopteron Eyton, 1839, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pt. 7, p. 102. Type, by subsequent designation (Strickland, 1844, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 13, p. 417), Malacopteron magnum Eyton." (Deignan in Peters 1964, X, 262).
Var. Malacopterum, Melanopteron.
Synon. Horizillas, Malacornis, Ophrydornis, Setaria.

magnirostre / magnirostris
L. magnus  great; -rostris  -billed  < rostrum  beak.
● ex “Alouette à Gros Bec” of Levaillant 1806, pl. 193 (Galerida).
● ex “Épervier à gros bec de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 464, and “Great-billed Falcon” of Latham 1781 (Rupornis).

SUBSPECIES

Moustached Babbler (magnirostre)
SCI Name: Malacopteron magnirostre magnirostre
magnirostre / magnirostris
L. magnus  great; -rostris  -billed  < rostrum  beak.
● ex “Alouette à Gros Bec” of Levaillant 1806, pl. 193 (Galerida).
● ex “Épervier à gros bec de Cayenne” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 464, and “Great-billed Falcon” of Latham 1781 (Rupornis).

Moustached Babbler (cinereocapilla)
SCI Name: Malacopteron magnirostre cinereocapilla
cinereocapilla / cinereocapillum
L. cinereus  ash-coloured  < cinis, cineris  ashes; -capillus  -headed  < capillus  hair of the head.