Common Babbler

The common babbler is a distinctly long-tailed, slim babbler, buff to grey above with dark streaks and a distinctive whitish throat; when moving on the ground it often keeps the long tail raised. It is found in dry open scrub country mainly in India, with the eclipes group from northern Pakistan to north-western India and the nominate caudata in southern Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and India, including the Lakshadweep Islands (Wikipedia, general species account).

It forages through undergrowth, hopping on the ground and creeping like a rodent, feeding on insects, berries and grains. Several breeding pairs may be found within a group, adults often preen the head and neck feathers of other members, and groups roost communally. The nesting season in India is in summer, May to July, with two peaks broken by a gap during the rains, in a shallow cup nest low in a thorny bush with about two or three turquoise-blue eggs. SoIB 2023 treats it as endemic to the Indian subcontinent and rates it a Moderate conservation priority, an omnivore of open habitat with a Very Large range of about 1.03 million km² and a decline of about 40% over the long term (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).