White-browed Babbler

Identification

Ranging from 17 cm to 21 cm in length the white-browed babbler is the smallest of the Australian babblers. It is a medium-sized terrestrial bird with a long and decurved bill. The wings are short and rounded in shape adjoining to a plump, full body which is similar, but slightly smaller than the chestnut-crowned or Hall's babbler. The tail is long and graduated ending with a rounded tip. The gregarious nature of this species means that the tail is often fanned or raised or any mix of the two. There are many variations to colour; however, the adult babbler generally varies from a dark grey-brown to solid dark brown with distinguished white supercilium and dark brown eye stripe. The underside is usually lighter in colour, varying from light grey or white to light brown, sometimes lighter for females, but generally sexes are similar. Juveniles often have more pronounced dark plumage with a chestnut or cinnamon motif, especially on the underside. Breeding adult males may sometimes have a more pronounced brown 'cap' compared to females or juveniles.<p>Hall's babbler is the species most often confused with the white-browed babbler because of their similarity in size. The two can best be distinguished by comparing the supercilium. Hall's babbler has a narrow and very dark brown crown-stripe with a much broader, vivid white supercilium. Secondly, Hall's babbler does not have a 'fading' eye-stripe towards the rear of the head where there is more chestnut brown colouration. Individuals will have vivid colouration on the face and will never have a white dot under the eye which is sometimes present in the white-browed babbler. The tail will also have a square edge rather than a round edge which the white-browed babbler would have, however this feature is sometimes not as reliable in juveniles.<p>Chestnut-crowned babblers are most easily defined by the colour of their cap and wing patterns. They have a much lighter 'chestnut' coloured cap and distinct double white wing-bars across coverts.<p>The grey-crowned babbler is significantly larger than its white-browed counterpart. Their size means that to conserve energy their wing beat pattern changes to a more sporadic flapping and gliding rather than even and fast wing beats.

Taxonomy

Genus: Pomatostomus; Family: Pomatostomidae; Order: Passeriformes.

Scientific name

Pomatostomus superciliosus

Authority

(Vigors & Horsfield, 1827)

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Pomatostomidae

Genus

Pomatostomus

Range and habitat

Populations of white-browed babbler live throughout the southern mainland of Australia. Generally they are located south of the tropic of Capricorn from the east to west coast of Australia. The populations that exist in the central areas of Australia tend to be more isolated than those nearer to the coastline. The habitat for the white-browed babbler varies across the southern regions of Australia from dry sclerophyll woodlands, shrublands, heathland, semiarid grasslands or open forests. They prefer areas with a dense understory of shrubs or spinifex for protection and nesting. Their range extends through arid and semiarid areas all the way across the South Australian coastline to Western Australia, and by doing so crosses many different ecological vegetation classes (EVCs). No preference seems to be shown with the overall composition of habitat, only that when the understory provides a good quality protection from the environment and predators the species is more successful. Populations have been found in many locations across southern Australia including dry, rocky gibber desert, mulga, eucalypt or acacia woodlands Studies have also found many populations in and around human-related infrastructure (see below).<p>Babblers spend the majority of their time foraging through leaf litter on the ground, although during nesting periods they retreat to nests inside hollowed logs, grass clumps, fallen branches or shrubs.

Migration

Resident species

Behavior

Migration pattern: Resident species.

Conservation

Population trend: declining.

Population trend

declining