Marsh Babbler Pellorneum palustre Scientific name definitions

This skulking, vocal, pellorneid ground babbler is endemic to the tall, wet grasslands of the Brahmaputra floodplain in northeast India and adjacent Bangladesh. As its name suggests, Marsh Babbler tends to occur in damp, seasonally inundated patches of grass, including swampy ground. Generally keeping low within dense cover, the bird is extremely difficult to observe, although its presence is frequently betrayed by its loud, characteristic song. Like many species occupying this habitat, very little is known of its biology, owing to the difficulty in observing the species, the seasonal inundation of most of its range during the monsoons, and the presence of large mammals in its habitat, which impedes thorough, detailed surveys. The large-scale conversion of grasslands in the Brahmaputra floodplain have impacted populations of many grassland birds, and the Marsh Babbler is no exception, being classified as globally threatened. Recent records come from only a handful of sites in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, India, although the species is likely to have been overlooked in other parts of its range. Further detailed surveys specifically targeting this species, studies of its habitat requirements, and conservation measures targeting remaining wet grasslands are urgently required to ensure the survival of the Marsh Babbler in the face of dramatic change in land use. This account outlines the little that is known of the species' biology, together with its conservation status.