Jungle Babbler Argya striata Scientific name definitions

Jungle Babblers are common, widespread and resident throughout lowland India, Bangla Desh and northeastern Pakistan, wherever there are trees and scrub. They rarely venture far from trees, so tend to be absent from open agricultural landscapes, or scrub where bushes are less than 3 m in height. Known in Hindi as "sat bhai" (seven brothers), because of they invariably occur in groups of 3-20 (with an average group size close to seven), each group is an extended family consisting of a breeding pair with offspring. The groups defend common territories, in which they live all year round. Most or all group members co-operate in breeding, by guarding the nest and helping to feed the young.

25 cm; 55–84 g. Medium-sized Turdoides babbler with pale eye, whitish lores, yellow bill and dull brownish-grey plumage, softly streaked on back and breast. Sexes similar. Juvenile is paler and duller than adult.

The following applies to the nominate subspecies (T. s. striata):

Juvenile

Juvenile is paler than adult, upperparts and head pale brown, underparts rufescent, brownish on breast, primary fringes ochraceous.

Adult

Nominate has crown and nape brownish grey, upperparts drab grey-brown, mantle and back with a few long, soft-edged dark brown streaks, rump and uppertail coverts greyish, tinged yellowish rufous on uppertail coverts; upper­wing dark brown with ashy edges, tail dark greyish brown, darker and noticeably barred towards tip; lores whitish with narrow dark line above, face and neck-side plain brownish grey; chin and throat pale dull grey with vague darker bars, breast ashy yellowish with paler feather centres and shafts, belly, vent and undertail coverts dull yellowish rufous, tinged brown on flanks and with faint white shaft-streaks. Sexes similar.

Bill

Bill yellow, yellowish white, dirty whitish or, rarely, pale horny yellow.

Iris and Facial Skin

Iris yellowish white or creamy white, orbital skin pale yellow.

Legs and Feet

Legs fleshy yellow to yellowish white.

Sometimes treated as conspecific with T. somervillei. Has been treated as conspecific with T. rufescens. Proposed race orissae (from E India) treated as synonym of nominate.

Five subspecies recognized.

---

EBIRD GROUP (POLYTYPIC)

Jungle Babbler (Jungle) Argya striata [striata Group]

Available illustrations of subspecies in this group

• eBird map
• 235 photos
• 23 recordings

---

SUBSPECIES

Argya striata sindiana Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Pakistan (R Indus Plains) and NW India (from Himalayan foothills, Punjab and Haryana S to Rann of Kutch).

Identification Summary

Subspecies sindiana is more ashy above than nominate, and more creamy buff on belly.

---

SUBSPECIES

Argya striata striata Scientific name definitions

Distribution

Himalayan foothills from SE Himachal Pradesh E to S Nepal, S Bhutan and W Assam, and S in India to Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, S West Bengal and NE Andhra Pradesh, and Bangladesh.

---

SUBSPECIES

Argya striata orientalis Scientific name definitions

Distribution

peninsular India except W and NE.

Identification Summary

Subspecies orientalis is like nominate but slightly browner above, with rufous tinge at tail tip.

---

SUBSPECIES

Argya striata malabarica Scientific name definitions

Distribution

SW India.

Identification Summary

Subspecies malabarica is more brownish grey than nominate, particularly on tail.

---

EBIRD GROUP (MONOTYPIC)

Jungle Babbler (Black-winged) Argya striata somervillei Scientific name definitions

• eBird map
• 134 photos
• 4 recordings

Distribution

W peninsular India (from Surat Dangs S to Goa).

Identification Summary

25 cm; male 59–72 g. Medium-sized Turdoides babbler with pale eye, yellow bill and brownish-rusty plumage, softly streaked on breast. Adult has dark line above lores; rest of head light brownish, this colour continuing over upperparts (mantle with barely visible darker streaking), but rump and uppertail coverts buffy rufous, tail distinctly rufescent; upperwing of same colour as back, except prominent blackish-brown primaries (forming obvious panel on closed wing); chin and throat greyish brown with indistinct darker thin bars, breast light rufous-brown with distinct paler feather centres (somewhat scalloped appearance), belly to undertail coverts rufous-buff; iris pale yellowish, orbital skin pale ochre; bill dull yellow; legs flesh-tinged yellow. Differs from nominate in its vaguely scalloped vs vaguely streaked breast (2); black edges to primaries forming bold black panel on closed wing (3); stronger rufous tinge to lower underparts and buffy-rufous vs pale grey rump. Parapatric distribution or very narrow zone of hybridization (assume latter; score 2) with T. s. malabarica in south of range.

From Pakistan and Himalayan foothills from southeastern Himachal Pradesh east to southern Nepal, southern Bhutan, and western Assam. Extends south throughout India and Bangladesh.

Jungle Babbler (Jungle)

Open forest and secondary forest, patches of moist deciduous forest, scrubland, bamboo, gardens , cashew and jack-fruit gardens, orchards, hedges in cultivation, bushes on waste ground, mango groves, sheesham plantations with tall coarse grass, tamarisk jungle, hillsides with scrub and mixed forest; distribution in Assam may be linked with that of sal (Shorea robusta) forest. To 1525 m, locally 1830 m.

Jungle Babbler (Black-winged)

Jungle Babbler (Jungle)

Jungle Babbler (Black-winged)

Microhabitat for Foraging

Jungle Babbler (Black-winged). Spends much time on ground .

Food Capture and Consumption

Jungle Babbler (Jungle). Very gregarious, in parties of 6–12 individuals throughout year; large flocks break up into smaller groups during breeding season. Often forms nucleus of mixed-species foraging parties. Occasionally associates with T. affinis. Spends much time on ground .

Jungle Babbler (Black-winged). Very gregarious, in parties of 6–12 individuals throughout year; large flocks break up into smaller groups during breeding season.

Main Foods Taken

Jungle Babbler (Jungle). Wide range of invertebrates, mainly insects, including hymenopterans (ants, wasps, ichneumon flies), beetles (Coleoptera), grasshoppers and crickets (Orthoptera), cockroaches (Blattodea), caterpillars, moths (Lepidoptera), mantises (Mantodea), stick-insects (Phasmida), bugs (Hemiptera), also spiders (Araneae); also frogs; also grain, seeds, figs (Ficus), berries (including those of Lantana and Ziziphus), and nectar of Salmalia, Butea, Erythrina and Helicteres isora. In one study, plant matter accounted for 56% of diet by weight, involving pulp of fruit, pearl millet, wheat and leafy material; remaining food was lepidopterans (18%), hymenopterans (6%), orthopterans (6%), beetles (4%), snails and spiders (less then 1%), with remaining 10% unidentified. In another study, 22% of total food by volume was insects (mostly beetles), 74% bajra grain (Pennisetum typhoides), 4% other vegetable material.

Jungle Babbler (Black-winged). Mainly invertebrates, also frogs; also takes grain, seeds, berries, figs (Ficus), and plant nectar. Invertebrates taken include, among others, hymenopterans (ants, wasps, ichneumon flies), beetles (Coleoptera), grasshoppers and crickets (Orthoptera), cockroaches (Blattodea), moths and caterpillars (Lepidoptera), mantises (Mantodea), stick-insects (Phasmida), bugs (Hemiptera), spiders (Araneae).

Vocal Array

Calls

Jungle Babbler (Jungle). A harsh conversational “ke-ke-ke” uttered when on the move, frequently breaking out into loud discordant chorus of squeaking and chattering. Calls include overexcited, peevish, slightly nasal, wheezy, variable chortling, e.g. “(trit, trit,) tyurr, tyurr, tyurr, tyur-tyur-tyit’trittrittrit”, each note strongly descending; a gruff “kyarsh”, often in series, or delivered rapidly almost as rattle, very often accompanied by sharp squeals; subdued single asthmatic toneless “kúrshh”; short descending metallic whinny; low, harsh, buzzy, twangy “churweeur, chnur, chnur-chnur…” and variants, long first note ascending and then descending sharply, others level and short; when mobbing predator, rapid sharp rattling interspersed with high-pitched squeals, also a harsher rattling.

Jungle Babbler (Black-winged). Harsh “ke-ke-ke” given frequently, this often becoming a loud discordant chorus of squeaking and excited chattering by all group-members.

Jungle Babbler (Jungle)

Jungle Babbler (Black-winged)

Breeds mainly Feb–Oct (with spring and midsummer peaks). Social breeder, but does not nest colonially, different pairs in group apparently breeding consecutively; breeding birds remain with flock, leaving only to attend to nest. Nest, built by both sexes and sometimes one or more helpers, a fairly loose, deep or shallow cup made from grasses, roots, leaves, tendrils and twigs, with sparse lining of rootlets and fine grasses, placed 1·2–9 m (usually 2–4 m) above ground in bush, hedge, small tree or hollow stump. Clutch usually 3–4 eggs (sometimes up to seven), pale to deep blue, often tinged green; incubation period 15 days; nestlings fed by both sexes, sometimes also by one or more helpers, no information on duration of nestling period. Brood parasitism by Jacobin Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus) and Common Hawk-cuckoo (Hierococcyx varius) reportedly common.

Jungle Babbler (Jungle)

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Common throughout Indus plains of Pakistan, and fairly common in Dera Ismail Khan district, in N. Fairly common in Nepal. Uncommon in Bhutan, where found primarily in W foothills, but relatively common in Phuntsholing area. Common and widespread in India, and abundant in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal Pradesh; present (“seen quite regularly”) in Rajaji National Park and common in Dudhwa National Park, both in Uttar Pradesh, common in Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary, in Haryana, abundant on New Forest campus at Dehra Dun and common in Dehra Dun valley, in Uttaranchal, and common in Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, in Orissa; present in Buxa Tiger Reserve, in West Bengal, with 5 birds/km² in monoculture plantation and 152·2 birds/km² in scrub; present in Mudumalai National Park, in Tamil Nadu. Common in Bangladesh.

Jungle Babbler (Black-winged)

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Common. Although this species has a relatively small range, within which its population size has not been quantified, its population trend appears to be stable. There is no evidence for any decline in its numbers or for any signifcant threats.