Alternative name: Earle's Babbler
- Turdoides earlei
Identification
With 24 - 25 cm (9½-9¾ in) a fairly large Turdoides-babbler:
- Pale brown below with rufous-mottled throat
- Yellow bill with dark tip
- Pale yellow eyes
- Heavy black streaks on crown, also streaked on mantle
- Fine streaked on throat and breast
Similar species
May be confused with Common Babbler or Striated Grassbird.
Distribution
Found from Pakistan (Indus river system) over northwest and north India (Ganges and Brahmaputra river valleys) and south Nepal to Bangladesh and Burma.
Resident and locally common species.
Taxonomy
This species is sometimes placed in genus Argya.
Subspecies
Two subspecies recognized[3]:
- T. e. earlei from northern India east over south Nepal to Bangladesh and Burma
- T. e. sonivia in Pakistan and northwest India
Habitat
Marsh grassland, reedbeds, sometimes in sugarcane and bushes around rice paddies.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on insects, snails and vegetable matter. Forages mainly above the ground in grass and reeds.
Usually found in flocks of seven to ten birds, sometimes more.
Breeding
Breeding season all year with a peak between March and October. A co-operative breeder with several broods a year. The nest is a massive cup made of grasses, leaves and roots. It's placed in the reed, in a small bush or in a small tree, usually close to the ground. Lays 2 - 4 eggs.
Brood parasitism by Pied Cuckoo is reported.
Vocalisation
<flashmp3>striated_babbler_alok_call.mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
Recording by Alok Tewari
Kherki Mazra, Dist. Gurgaon, Haryana, India, February-2017
Many types of calls given by an early morning foraging party of about 10 individuals.
References
- 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
- Rasmussen, PC and JC Anderton. 2005. Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334672
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2016. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2016, with updates to August 2016. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Striated Babbler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Striated_Babbler
External Links
