Identification
Small brownish babbler with a rufous crown. Extremely similar to Rufous-capped Babbler, and often not safely distinguished in areas of overlap. Rufous-fronted averages paler-throated, grayer-faced, less yellow below, has very fine dark streaks on the crown, and may have a duller and shorter crown patch. Song is a variable ascending series of piping “toots” (short whistles): “tu-tu-tutututu!” Calls include quick isolated “chit” and “whit” notes, rolling rattles, and quick notes similar to those from the song. Found from lowlands up into the upper elevations, foraging in forests and edges with dense low vegetation. Buff-chested Babbler of northeastern South Asia and Indochina, formerly an independent species, is now treated as part of Rufous-fronted.