Fun Cyanoderma Facts For Kids

Cyanoderma is a genus comprising of eight Old World babbler species, belonging to the family Timaliidae, and the order Passeriformes. These birds are native to Southeast Asia and are non-migratory in nature, like the long-tailed tit.

The common names of the eight species of babblers under this genus are chestnut-winged babblers, golden babblers, buff-chested babblers, gray-hooded babblers, rufous-capped babblers, crescent-chested babblers, black-chinned babblers, and rufous-fronted babblers.

Cyanoderma birds are quite small in size. They are most commonly found in different kinds of forests in their natural range. Most of these babblers are pretty abundantly found, even though most of their populations are decreasing.

This can be attributed to a loss of habitat. The breeding seasons of these babblers vary, depending on the species.

They usually lay between two and five eggs, which are white or whitish, sometimes with markings. In rufous-fronted babblers, incubation is done by both males and females. The different appearances, vocalizations, and behavior of these passerines make them quite interesting to know about.

To learn more about the members of the genus Cyanoderma, keep reading this article! You can also check out facts about the eagle and the hawk.

Cyanoderma Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Cyanoderma?

Cyanoderma is a genus containing eight species of birds. They are known as Old World babblers and are found in various regions of Southeast Asia.

What class of animal does a Cyanoderma belong to?

Cyanoderma birds belong to the class Aves. They are part of the Timaliidae family.

How many Cyanodermas are there in the world?

There is a lack of information on the exact number of birds in the genus Cyanoderma that are present throughout their natural range. For most species, their population trend has been marked as decreasing, except for the rufous-fronted babbler (Cyanoderma rufifrons) and the black-chinned babbler (Cyanoderma pyrrhops) which have stable populations.

Rufous-fronted babblers are pretty common and 10,000-100,000 breeding pairs of this species are found in China.

Where does a Cyanoderma live?

Cyanoderma birds are native to Southeast Asia, and the different species have different geographic ranges. For example, buff-chested babblers can be found from the eastern Himalayas to the southern parts of Laos and black-chinned babblers reside from Pakistan to eastern Nepal.

What is a Cyanoderma's habitat?

The habitat of Cyanoderma birds mostly includes different kinds of forests. Golden babblers inhabit evergreen forests, secondary forests, and pine forests. Crescent-chested babblers can be seen in wooded areas, forest edges, and monsoon forests. Other species can also be found in plantations, secondary forests, grasslands, and so on.

Who does a Cyanoderma live with?

Most of these birds have been noted to forage in flocks, which also constitute other species of babblers. Among rufous-capped babblers, breeding pairs are also seen feeding together. Black-chinned babblers can be seen in mixed flocks with eight to 10 individuals.

How long does a Cyanoderma live?

The exact lifespan of babblers under the genus Cyanoderma is not known. However, there is information about the lifespan of another member of the family Timaliidae, known as jungle babblers. These birds have a lifespan of 17 years.

How do they reproduce?

These birds reproduce by laying eggs. The usual clutch size of all species is between two and five eggs. In golden babblers, the breeding season lasts from January to July.

During this period mating songs can be heard. Their eggs are usually white but can have reddish spots. Chestnut-winged babblers are social-breeders, their nests are built by both sexes and other birds help too.

What is their conservation status?

All species under the genus Cyanoderma are marked as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) except for buff-chested babblers who are not listed. However, they do face threats from habitat loss and fragmentation.

Cyanoderma Fun Facts

What do Cyanodermas look like?

Different species of babblers in this genus have distinct appearances. Rufous-fronted babblers have a rufous crown, with whitish-gray upper wings and tails, and pale brown underparts. Gray-hooded babblers have gray and chestnut feathers whilst golden babblers have a golden-yellow nape streaked with black feathers and yellow underparts. All species have small and dark-toned bills.

How cute are they?

Babbler birds are quite cute in appearance and are quite small like the tufted titmouse. Their small size adds to their charm.

How do they communicate?

These birds mainly communicate through calls and vocalizations, like some other members of their family. Gray-hooded babblers communicate through a whistle-like tune with seven to 10 notes sounding like 'chu hu-hu'. Information collected about the calls of crescent-chested babblers has revealed trilling sounds like 'phr-r-r'.

How big is a Cyanoderma?

The different species of babblers have different body lengths. In general, they are all quite small in size.

Golden babblers measure between 4-4.7 in (10-12 cm), while chestnut-winged babblers have a length between 5-5.3 in (12.5-13.5 cm). Both of these birds are smaller than the large scimitar-babblers of a length between 10.2-11 in (26-28 cm), belonging to the same family.

How fast can a Cyanoderma move?

Information on the flight speeds of the various species under Cyanoderma are not known. However, Old World babblers belonging to the Timaliidae family are said to be weak fliers, due to their short and rounded wings.

How much does a Cyanoderma weigh?

The various babbler species of the Cyanoderma genus are all small birds with very little body weight. Golden babblers, black-chinned babblers, and chestnut-winged babblers weigh between 0.2-0.3 oz (6-10 g), 0.3-0.4 oz (8-12 g), and 0.3-0.5 oz (10-15.1 g), respectively.

What are their male and female names of the species?

Male and female members of the genus Cyanoderma are known as male babblers and female babblers, respectively. Their common name is also often added to differentiate between different species.

What would you call a baby Cyanoderma?

A baby belonging to this genus is called a chick.

What do they eat?

Birds of the genus Cyanoderma are omnivorous in nature. They mainly feed on small invertebrates like insects and spiders, along with fruits and berries.

Are they poisonous?

There is no information suggesting these birds are poisonous.

Would they make a good pet?

Birrds belonging to the several Cyanoderma species can be kept as pets if all their requirements are met. However, it is best to let these birds be in their natural habitats.

Did you know...

The gray-hooded babbler (Cyanoderma bicolor) was considered to be the same species as the chestnut-winged babbler (Cyanoderma erythropterum). However, new information related to the appearances and vocalizations of the two birds resulted in them being separated into two different species.

Are they endangered?

None of the species of Cyanoderma are endangered. However, most of them do have decreasing trends in their population. The main reasons behind this are habitat loss and habitat fragmentation.

How is it different from other passerines?

Passerines are birds of the order Passeriformes. The babbler species of the Cyanoderma genus are also members of this order, but they do have some differences when compared to other passerines. These birds are quite small in size in comparison to various other passerine bird species. They are also non-migratory, unlike passerines like blue jays and hooded crows.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our keel-billed toucan facts and birds of paradise facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable cyanoderma coloring pages.