Orange-billed babbler

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Orange-billed babbler
Orange-billed babbler (18909680320).jpg
at Kelani Forest Reserve, Sri Lanka
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Leiothrichidae
Genus: Argya
Species:
A. rufescens
Binomial name
Argya rufescens
(Blyth, 1847)
Synonyms

Turdoides rufescens

The orange-billed babbler (Argya rufescens), also known as Ceylon rufous babbler or Sri Lankan rufous babbler, is a member of the family Leiothrichidae.

Contents

The orange-billed babbler is a resident breeding bird endemic to Sri Lanka. In the past, it was considered to be a race of jungle babbler, Argya striata.

Its habitat is rainforest, and it is seldom seen away from deep jungle. This species, like most babblers, is not migratory, and has short rounded wings and a weak flight.

Although its habitat is under threat, it occurs in all the forests of the wet zone, and is quite common at prime sites like Kitulgala and Sinharaja. It builds its nest in a tree, concealed in dense masses of foliage. The normal clutch is two or three deep greenish blue eggs.

These birds are plain orange brown below, and have a slightly darker shade above. The crown and nape are grey, and the bill is orange.

The orange-billed babbler lives in flocks of seven to ten or more. It is a noisy bird, and the presence of a flock may generally be known at some distance by the continual chattering, squeaking and chirping produced by its members. It is usually the first sign that a mixed-species feeding flock, so characteristic of Asian wet forests, is in the vicinity. It feeds mainly on insects, but also eats jungle berries.

Taxonomy

The orange-billed babbler was formerly placed in the genus Turdoides but following the publication of a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study in 2018, it was moved to the resurrected genus Argya . [2] [3]

In culture

In Sri Lanka, this bird is known as rathu demalichcha (translates to 'red babbler') in Sinhala language. [4] This bird appears on a 10 rupee Sri Lankan postal stamp. [5] Also this bird appears on the 100 Sri Lankan rupee bank note (2010 series). [6]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fulvous babbler</span> Species of bird

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afghan babbler</span> Species of bird

The Afghan babbler is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is found from southeastern Iraq to south western Pakistan. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the common babbler.

<i>Argya</i> Genus of birds in the family Leiothrichidae

Argya is a genus of passerine birds in the family Leiothrichidae. The species are distributed across Africa and southern Asia and are typically fairly large, long-tailed birds that forage in noisy groups. Members of this genus were formerly placed in the genera Turdoides and Garrulax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laughingthrushes</span> Family of birds

The laughingthrushes are a family, Leiothrichidae, of Old World passerine birds. They are diverse in size and coloration. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The entire family used to be included in the Old World babbler family Timaliidae.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2022). "Turdoides rufescens". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  2. Cibois, A.; Gelang, M.; Alström, P.; Pasquet, E.; Fjeldså, J.; Ericson, P.G.P.; Olsson, U. (2018). "Comprehensive phylogeny of the laughingthrushes and allies (Aves, Leiothrichidae) and a proposal for a revised taxonomy". Zoologica Scripta. 47 (4): 428–440. doi:10.1111/zsc.12296. S2CID   51883434.
  3. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2019). "Laughingthrushes and allies". World Bird List Version 9.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  4. Anonymous (1998). "Vernacular Names of the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent" (PDF). Buceros. 3 (1): 53–109.
  5. "Birds on stamps: Sri Lanka".
  6. "Central Bank of Sri Lanka". Archived from the original on 2017-08-03. Retrieved 2017-07-23.