Brown babbler
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Turdoides plebejus

The brown babbler (Turdoides plebejus ) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is predominantly found in West Africa, but ranging from the Gambia to Kenya. The species is common across its range. The species is also known as the Sudan babbler.

Appearance

The brown babbler is a medium-sized Turdoides babbler, measuring 22–25 centimetres (8.7–9.8 in) in length and weighs around 52–80 grams (1.8–2.8 oz). The plumage is grey-brown with a white-streaked throat and breast and a scaled head. The wings are bronze-brown, the bill black and the legs dusky or slaty black. The iris of the eyes are yellow. The sexes are alike, and juvenile birds are like the adults but with plainer and browner plumage and brown irises.

Distribution

Geography

The brown babbler inhabits the broad band of the Sahel between the Sahara Desert and the tropical forests of Western Africa, from southern Mauritania, Senegal and the Gambia to southern Sudan, Uganda and western Kenya. The species lives in open savanna, wooded grasslands, riparian habitat in drier areas, degraded cultivation, farmlands, parks and gardens. The species is common across its range and readily lives in human modified habitat and is not considered threatened with extinction.

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The species is mostly sedentary (non-migratory), but is thought to make some seasonal movements based upon local conditions related to the rainy seasons. In central Burkina Faso it is observed more frequently during the rainy season, and it has also been observed to be erratically absent or present in the Kampala region of Uganda.

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Habits and Lifestyle

The brown babbler consumes a variety of insects including ants, beetles, termites, and praying mantises, as well as other invertebrates, berries, and fruit. It will also opportunistically take carrion. They generally forage on the ground and in family parties of up to 14 individuals.

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Population

References

1. Brown babbler Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_babbler
2. Brown babbler on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22716487/132111685
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/697048

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