Jerdon's Babbler

Jerdon's babbler is a passerine native to the wetlands and grasslands of the Indian subcontinent, 16–17 cm long, quite intermediate in habit between typical warblers (Sylvia) and the parrotbills, and a member of the genus Chrysomma of the family Paradoxornithidae. The common name commemorates the surgeon-naturalist Thomas C. Jerdon. It is a drab bird with a long tail used for balance when creeping through vegetation; it is buffy chestnut-brown above and slightly lighter yellowish-brown on the belly, with pale greyish lores, throat and breast, and a bill thicker than in Sylvia but not as heavy as in parrotbills (Wikipedia, general species account).

In Punjab it was recorded in Harike Wildlife Sanctuary; in the Terai in Shuklaphanta and Dudhwa National Parks; and in north-east India in Kaziranga, Orang, Manas and Dibru-Saikhowa National Parks, Majuli and D'Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary. The sexes are alike, and young birds have a more orange hue above and a pink lower bill. The song is a weak four- to eight-note warbling, such as chi-chi-chi-chew-chew-chew, with a drawn-out end note. SoIB 2023 rates it a High conservation priority, a resident of wetland with a Restricted range of about 9,310 km², a decline of about 57% over the long term and a rapid current decline of about 7.6% a year (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).