Chapin's Mountain-Babbler

Description

Also known as Chapin’s Babbler 

18-19 cm  

Blackish chestnut cap  

Pale rufous throat  

Pale chestnut wing flash  

Dark chestnut crown that sometimes has a blackish scaling  

Olive upperparts except for a rufous-chestnut rump  

Dark olive-brown upperwing with rufous-edged primaries  

Blackish-brown tail  

Lores, superciliary area, cheek, and ear-coverts are a pale ochrous-olive  

Chin and upper sub-moustachial area are buffy with shading on lower sub-moustachial area  

Upper breast is dull rufous with shades on the sides of the breast  

Lower breast and remaining underparts are a rufous-tinged dull ochrous olive  

Dull chestnut vent  

Dark iris  

Brownish bill  

Paler lower mandible  

Dark brown legs  

Juveniles have a maroon-brown crown  

Chapin’s Mountain Babblers has two recognized subspecies: Turdoides chapini nyombensis and Turdoides chapini kalindei  

Nyombensis has a duller crown, grey sides on the head, and a paler throat  

Kalindei has a darker crown, face, and upperparts with a brighter rufous wing flash and vent 

Habitat  

The nominate species (Turdoides chapini chapini) is considered rare and known from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) in the Albertine Rift from the Lendu Plateau, the mountains west of Lake Edward, the mountains west of Lake Kivu, and the Itombwe Mountains (IUCN Red List) 

Nyombensis is known to inhabit the Mt. Nyombe region in eastern DR Congo  

The range of Kalindei includes areas west of the north end of Lake Tanganyika in eastern DR Congo  

Chapin’s Mountain Babbler’s range and physical characteristics overlap with that of the Red-Collared Babbler (Kupeornis rufocinctus) whose range extends beyond the DR Congo to Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda. Despite this overlap, the two are recognized by most as separate species. 

The habitat of Chapin’s Mountain Babbler encompasses transitional broadleaf evergreen forest between 1000-1650 m 

Behavior 

Found in flocks up to 10 individuals that forage in middle and upper storeys  

Often associates with other species (especially bulbuls) 

Known to emit harsh calls and chattering that are heard in a chorus that is similar to the behavior exhibited by the Red-Collared Babbler but higher-pitched  

Other Information 

Diet unknown    

Breeding behavior unknown (Birds of the World) 

Life span- 3.6 years (IUCN Red List) 

Chapin’s Mountain Babbler is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN that made its last assessment in 2020. This does not mean that this species is safe. Rather, that the lack of data surrounding this bird makes it impossible for the IUCN to classify her as Vulnerable. What is concerning is that the population size of this has never been quantified but is suspected to be in decline due to habitat loss within its narrow range. Between the years 2000-2019, the species’ range experienced an 8.6 loss in forest cover. This rate has only increased since then and it is unclear how much evergreen forest will remain in the bird’s range by the end of the decade. What is more, this bird has only rarely been seen. The estimated extent of occurrence is 116,000 km² (IUCN Red List) 

To see a distribution map for Chapin’s Mountain Babbler, click here.

Most of what is known about Chapin’s Mountain Babbler comes from 34 specimens that were collected in the Albertine Rift in the early and mid-twentieth century (Bober et al., 2001). Ever since the bird was first described by Henri Schouteden in 1949, the bird has been elusive and sighted only rarely in the wild.  

One of the few sightings of Chapin’s Mountain Babbler comes from the ornithologist, J.P Vande weghe, who saw and heard the bird on the western slopes of Mt. Kahuzi in August 1984. He noticed that the bird’s vocal patterns were similar to that of the Red-Collared Babbler. This species is known for its harsh, chattering notes that are often heard in a chorus. Chapin’s Mountain Babbler exhibited similar behavior except that the notes had a higher pitch. Vande weghe’s account suggests that the two species are indeed closely related as many ornithologists suspected (Vande weghe, 1988). 

The greatest challenge Chapin’s Mountain Babbler must face is the high rate of habitat loss that is happening across her range. This habitat loss is caused not only by agricultural expansion but also by the indirect and direct impacts continuous armed conflict has had on diverse ecosystems in the DR Congo. During a wartime situation, there are several ways an armed conflict can negatively affect wildlife. Animals can be accidentally killed by mines or shells. They can be hunted and overexploited to feed troops. If they are an endangered species, they can even be used by hostages or pawns to hamper government troops or gain international support. War can affect park institutions in a reserve where endangered and vulnerable species are protected. Rebels can occupy an area and chase park officials away. With park institutions absent, this not only opens the door for rebels and poachers but also refugees from neighboring regions affected by the conflict to come in and overexploit park resources and destroy natural environments (Gaynor et al., 2016). All of these factors either have happened or continue to happen on some level in the DR Congo ever since the country ceased to be a Belgian colony in the 1960s. The armed conflict that has ravaged the country does not show signs of ending anytime soon. While large mammals tend to be the center of attention for economic reasons such as poaching, birds can be the target of poaching and habitat loss as war forces many in the country to overexploit resources to survive. 

The DR Congo has among the richest and diverse ecosystems in the world. Ironically, these areas are also among the most poorly studied and ravaged by habitat loss as a result of the incessant warfare that has plagued the country since independence. Chapin’s Mountain Babbler is one of 13 rare species that are either only known from the DR Congo or are mainly known from this region. Other than Chapin’s Mountain Babbler, the list includes the Itombwe Nightjar, Itombwe Owl, Chestnut Owlet, Grauer’s Cuckooshrike, Lendu Crombec, Kabobo Apalis, Prigogine’s Greenbul, Sassi’s Greenbul, Chapin’s Mountain Babbler, Prigogine’s Sunbird, Upemba Masked Weaver, Black-Lored Waxbill, and Yellow-Legged Weaver. It appears that more and more of their habitat is destroyed by agriculture and overexploitation and more and more of their members are captured or killed due to poaching and hunting with every passing year. If the armed conflict in the DR Congo does not cease, it is unsure how much longer these rare species can continue to cope with the direct and indirect impacts war has had on their survival.

Order: Passeriformes 

Family: Leiothrichidae 

Genus: Turdoides/Kupeornis 

Species: Turdoides/Kupeornis chapini* 

*There has been considerable debate among taxonomists and ornithologists over the years regarding this species’ classification ever since it was first described by Henri Schouteden in 1949. Schouteden described the bird as Kupeornis chapini with the name Chapin’s Flycatcher-Babbler. James Chapin (whom the bird was named after) disagreed with Schouteden and placed the bird in the genus Lioptilus in 1953. The lack of information concerning the species’ habits only fueled the debate and disagreement surrounding its classification.  

When J.P Vande weghe analyzed Chapin’s Mountain Babbler in 1988, he made some key observations that still influence what little knowledge we have of this bird today. He suggested that the species was closely related to the Red-Collared Babbler and the White-Throated Mountain Babbler (Turdoides gilberti) and that the three should be considered part of the same genus. He disagreed with Chapin in that Chapin’s Mountain Babbler should be in the genus Lioptilus since he believed that this species together with the Red-Collared and White-Throated Mountain Babblers had similar habits and plumage coloration. He recommended that the three birds be placed in the genus Kupeornis since all three babblers seemed to be specialized canopy babblers that are dependent on lush epiphytic growth and restricted to wetter montane forests in tropical Africa. He also suggested the name Chapin’s Mountain Babbler which is what several checklists use to refer to the bird today (Vande weghe, 1988). 

In 2012, a phylogenic analysis by Robert Moyle et al., (2012) shed new light on the origins of Chapin’s Mountain Babbler. After doing an analysis of the primary babbler families, they indicated that the bird should be placed in the genus Turdoides instead of Kupeornis. Several checklists subsequently adopted this change. 

In 2018, the quest to discover the origins of Chapin’s Mountain Babbler took another turn when A. Cibois et al. (2018) did a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial DNA and nuclear loci to analyze all babbler genera within the traditional babbler family Leiothrichidae. This family has the largest clade of babblers (102 species and 21 genera) in terms of species diversity that includes song babblers and laughing thrushes across Africa, southern Asia, and southeast Asia. Their analysis challenged the assertion by Moyle et al. that Chapin’s Mountain Babbler should be in the genus Turdoides. Instead, they argued that Schouteden and Vande weghe were right all along and that this babbler should actually be placed in the genus Kupeornis along with the White-Throated Mountain Babbler that is her closest relative. What is interesting is that the Red-Collared Babbler was not included in the study so they were not able to completely confirm Vande weghe’s hypothesis that the three should be in the same genus. However, several checklists put this species in the Kupeornis genus anyway. 

The reception of the study by Cibois et al., has been mixed. Some checklists have adopted the taxonomic change and have placed Chapin’s Mountain Babbler in the genus Kupeornis while others (such as the ebird/Clements checklist) continue to keep the bird in the genus Turdoides as recommended by Moyle et al. These studies show that even phylogenetic analyses have not succeeded in quelling the debate surrounding the origins of Chapin’s Mountain Babbler. It seems that the only thing that can end the debate are concrete observations and sightings of this bird which has proven to be one of the rarest babblers in Africa.