Common Babbler

Overview

The common babbler (Argya caudata) is a small, long-tailed bird belonging to the family Leiothrichidae. It is primarily found in dry, open scrubland across India and parts of Pakistan and Nepal.

Identification

• Slim body with a distinctly long tail, often held raised while on the ground.
• Buff to grey upper plumage with dark streaks; underside is unstreaked and pale, featuring a nearly whitish throat.
• Vocalisations include a rapid trill and a high-pitched squeak as an alarm call.

Habitat

Inhabits dry regions characterised by sparse and low thorny scrub vegetation. Its range covers southern Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and India, including the Lakshadweep Islands, with a separate western population west of the Indus river system now often treated as the Afghan babbler.

Diet

Feeds on insects, berries, and grains, with a preference for the berries of Lantana and Capparis. Forages through undergrowth by hopping on the ground and creeping like rodents, often with other members of its group keeping watch from bush tops.

Did you know?

Adults frequently preen the head and neck feathers of other group members, and the species exhibits cooperative breeding where helpers, possibly young from previous broods, assist parents by feeding the brooding females and chicks.