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Northern Pied-Babbler Turdoides hypoleuca Scientific name definitions

Nigel Collar and Craig Robson
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated January 1, 2007

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Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

22–25 cm; 67–80 g. Medium-sized Turdoides babbler, brown above and white below, with partial or full breastband. Nominate race has crown, nape and mantle plain brown with faint, pale greyish-brown scaling, remaining upperparts, upperwing and tail plain brown, whitish spots on median and lesser wing-coverts; face (lores, superciliary area, cheek and ear-coverts) plain dark brown, neck side, flanks, thighs and partial or complete breastband the same but with faint, pale greyish-brown scaling, remaining underparts (including submoustachial area) white, sometimes with buffy tinge (one individual recorded with entire underside except throat dingy grey brown); iris creamy white, sometimes pale yellow or straw; bill black; legs dusky. Sexes similar. Juvenile is slightly more olivaceous than adult, streaked on breast, iris dark. Race rufuensis is paler and greyer above, with scaling extending onto back, crown more extensively and densely flecked and scaled buffy grey, often also with greyer head side, darker lores, more extensive breastband.

Systematics History

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Two subspecies recognized.

Subspecies

SUBSPECIES

Turdoides hypoleuca hypoleuca Scientific name definitions

Distribution

C and S Kenya S to N Tanzania (Mt Kilimanjaro).
SUBSPECIES

Turdoides hypoleuca rufuensis Scientific name definitions

Distribution

NE Tanzania.

Distribution

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Habitat

Middle-elevation bushlands, edges of dry evergreen forest, secondary growth, patches of Erythrina and nearby clumps of bushes and trees, scrub, plantations, suburban gardens, areas near human habitation; in Kenya study, groups spend midday in Lantana thickets. Generally at 1000–1800 m.

Movement

Resident.

Diet and Foraging

No information on diet; presumably mainly invertebrates, berries and seeds. Forages mostly on ground under thick cover of bushes, tossing and turning dead leaves and debris in search of prey; in evening, feeds close to roost-site. Found in family parties of 3–5 individuals and larger groups of up to 10–12 (average 8·3) individuals; in small groups during breeding season.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Very noisy. Chorus song a loud “teeya-teeya-teeya”, “skare-skare-skare-skare…” or longer “teeyayayayaya”, lacking churring quality of E African congeners. Calls include nasal, complaining, slightly downslurred and fading “taaaa” or “tyaaaa”, insistent “quorr-quorr”, and variety of raucous chattering, churring and chuckling notes.

Breeding

Feb–Dec (peaks Apr–May and Nov) in Kenya and Nov and Feb in Tanzania. Nest a rough cup of leaves, twigs and coarse dry grasses (one incorporated Bougainvillea flowers and dog hair), lined with finer grasses, rootlets and fibres, usually placed 1·5–3·7 m up in thorny bush. Clutch 3–4 eggs, usually 3, rich dark blue, sometimes with faint brown spotting. No other information.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern
Not globally threatened. Range relatively small. Locally common in Kenya, and a common bird in Nairobi gardens. In Tanzania occurs in three populations; one (around Mt Kilimanjaro) with 50 recorded localities; another (Kilosa) where fairly common, with 23 localities; and third from Usambaras towards Tanga (abundance/localities unreported).
Distribution of the Northern Pied-Babbler - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Northern Pied-Babbler

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

Collar, N. and C. Robson (2020). Northern Pied-Babbler (Turdoides hypoleuca), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.norpib1.01
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