Hall's Babbler Pomatostomus halli Scientific name definitions

19–21 cm; 30–47 g. Medium-sized, dark pomatostomid with broad white supercilium and distinct white bib. Has top of head from centre of forehead to nape and hindneck dark brown, broad whitish supercilium extending from side of forehead to side of nape (can give appearance of white cap), broad blackish eyestripe across lores and through eye to ear-coverts, and grading into dark brown on side of neck; upperparts, including upperwing, dark brown; tail blackish-brown, white tips of feathers broadest on outer rectrices (and obvious in flight); chin, throat and centre of upper breast white, sharply demarcated from dark brown lower underbody; underwing-coverts and axillaries dark brown; iris dark brownish; bill black, narrow whitish strip along base of lower mandible; legs black. Sexes similar. Juvenile resembles adult, but bill shorter and less decurved, gape yellow, primary upperwing-coverts narrowly edged yellowish-brown; immature probably difficult to distinguish from adult.

Inland E Australia from SW Queensland (S of Finucane Range, E to Forsyth Range) S to NW New South Wales.

Open tall mulga (Acacia) woodlands and shrublands, often in stony gulleys or on stony plains or slopes; recorded also in mixed woodland of mulga, cypress pine (Callitris) and eucalypt (Eucalyptus). Areas with more than 70% tree cover (7–11 m tall) and sparse shrub understorey preferred. Occurs rarely in grassland with sparse tree or shrub cover.

Poorly understood; probably sedentary and territorial. All ringing recoveries are from within 10 km of site of ringing.

Poorly known. Eats insects, including beetles (Coleoptera) and butterfly larvae (Lepidoptera). Forages on ground, also in shrubs and from branches and trunks of trees. Often probes among crevices and in bark; turns over stones and wood in search of food. Usually in groups of 5–15 individuals.

Noisy sharp chirping and buzzing calls, as well as strident staccato, whistling and scolding notes.

Recorded in most months. Breeds co-operatively, in groups comprising breeding pair and one or two helpers. Groups known to build multiple nests, but only one used for breeding at any one time; nest a fairly compact dome, with outer chamber made of sticks, inner chamber lined with grass, feathers and hair, placed 3–8 m above ground and usually in mulga tree; estimated size of group home range 2–18 ha. Clutch size poorly known, thought to be c. 2 eggs; no information on incubation period; helpers assist with feeding of nestlings, fledging period probably more than 10 days. No other information.

Not globally threatened. Locally fairly common. Clearance and grazing of habitat are probably the main threatening processes.