- Turdoides hypoleuca
Identification
22 - 25 cm. A medium-sized Turdoides-babbler
- Brown above
- White below
- Partial or full breast-band
- Faint scaling on head
- Eyes creamy white, sometimes yellow
- Black bill
- Dusky legs
Distribution
Central Kenya and E and NE Tanzania.
Locally common but small range.
Taxonomy
Two subspecies accepted:
- T. h. hypoleuca in Kenya and northern Tanzania (Mount Kilimanjaro)
- T. h. rufuensis in northeast Tanzania
The scientific name has been spelled Turdoides hypoleucos in the past.
Habitat
Bushland, edges of dry evergreen forest, scrub, secondary growth, plantations and suburban gardens.
Usually between 1000m and 1800m.
Behaviour
No information about diet, probably mainly invertebrates and berries and seeds.
Forages mainly on the ground, always staying close to cover. Usually seen in family parties (3 - 5 birds) or bigger groups up to 12 birds.
Breeding season from February to December in Kenya and November and February in Tanzania. The nest is a rough cup made of leaves, twigs and dry grass. It's placed in a thorny bush. Lays 3 - 4 eggs.
Resident species.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Northern Pied Babbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Northern_Pied_Babbler
