Agile Gibbon
Sounds & Calls
Agile Gibbon (Hylobates agilis)
Photo Credit: Julie Langford
License: CC BY-SA 3.0
The Agile Gibbon (Hylobates agilis) [also known as Black-handed Gibbon] is a small species of gibbon found in in Sumatra and in isolated pockets of northern Peninsula Malaysia and across the border into Thailand.
One of the diagnostic features of the vocalisations of this species is a series of low-high bi-phasic notes (the low notes are made while exhaling, the high notes while inhaling) which is given by both males and females, individually and as duets. These particular sounds are often heard immediately after the great call of the female.
For more general information on gibbon song visit the White-handed Gibbon Sounds page.
Listen to Agile Gibbon Calls
The audio in the video below features Agile Gibbons singing in Ulu Muda Forest Reserve, Malaysia.
Agile Gibbon – Great call & bi-phasic hoots
MX16 A pair singing in Ulu Muda, Malaysia. This cut includes several examples of the female ‘great call’ as well as low-high bi-phasic duets.
Spectrogram showing the Agile Gibbon female great call followed by a bi-phasic down-up series of notes, one of the distinctive call patterns of this species.
License Audio
License audio for use in documentaries, film, radio, sound installations and more…
Primate Sounds
Primate sounds from South-east Asia:
- Orangutan, Bornean (Pongo pygmaeus)
- Gibbon, Agile (Hylobates agilis)
- Gibbon, Mueller's (Hylobates muelleri)
- Gibbon, Pileated (Hylobates pileatus)
- Gibbon, White-handed (Hylobates lar)
- Langur, Banded (Presbytis robinsoni)
- Langur, Dusky (Trachypithecus obscurus)
- Leaf Monkey, Red (Presbytis rubicunda)
- Macaque, Long-tailed (Macaca fascicularis)
- Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus)
- Tarsiers
Conservation Issues
As a result of widespread deforestation throughout much of its range, Agile Gibbon populations are decreasing and are now considered endangered. The photograph below is from the Ulu Muda Forest Reserve in northern Peninsula Malaysia, where a significant population of Agile Gibbons still survive.
