Large Grey Babbler

Overview

The large grey babbler is one of the largest babblers in the Indian subcontinent, belonging to the family Leiothrichidae. It is a locally common bird found across India and far western Nepal, thriving in open dry scrub forests and cultivated areas.

Identification

• Brown body with a grey forehead marked by white shaft streaks and dark lores.
• Long tail with three outer white feathers and the fourth pair having a white outer web, which are highly visible during flight.
• Pale grey rump and uppertail coverts contrasted with darker brown wings.
• Bill with a dark brown upper mandible and yellowish lower mandible, along with yellow irises.

Habitat

This species is distributed throughout the Indian subcontinent south of the Himalayas and east of the Thar Desert up to Bihar, though it is absent from Kerala and the eastern dry zone of Tamil Nadu. It primarily inhabits open dry scrub forests and cultivated areas, though it can also be found in urban gardens in cities such as Pune and Ahmedabad.

Diet

The large grey babbler forages on or close to the ground, hopping and leaping to find food. Its diet consists mainly of insects, but it also consumes small lizards, molluscs, arachnids, seeds, grains, and berries.

Did you know?

Individuals in the flock may engage in playful behaviour and are known to attack their own reflections. Some nests may contain eggs laid by multiple females, though this cooperative incubation has not yet been verified.