Hartlaub's Babbler

Turdoides hartlaubii

Boldly marked babbler with a red eye and a white rump and belly. The white rump is very obvious in flight. Found in marsh, wet scrub, gallery forest, and thick woodland. Almost always in groups, which vary in size from several up to 15 individuals. Usually feeds by hopping along the ground. Raucous babbling call is frequently given, usually by a whole group in chorus. Similar in shape, size, and overall brown coloration to Arrow-marked and Black-faced Babblers, but easily separated by red eye, white rump and belly, and broad markings on the underparts.

Identification

Hartlaub's babbler (Turdoides hartlaubii) or the Angola babbler, is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae, which is native to south central Africa. The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the German physician and ornithologist Gustav Hartlaub.

Taxonomy

Genus: Turdoides; Family: Leiothrichidae; Order: Passeriformes.

Scientific name
Turdoides hartlaubii
Authority
(Barboza du Bocage, 1868)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Leiothrichidae
Genus
Turdoides

Range and habitat

The species is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, DRC, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Migration
Resident species

Behavior

Migration pattern: Resident species.

Conservation

Population trend: stable.

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

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Mountain Trogon

Trogon mexicanus

Fairly large trogon of pine and pine-oak forests in highlands; usually at upper levels in trees and often rather shy. Male is striking, with big, bold white squares on underside of tail. Female has broken white eyering on brown head and coarse black-and-white pattern under the tail. Elegant Trogon overlaps in range and can be told from Mountain by the coppery color on the top of the tail (male) or by the white stripe behind the eye (female). Also note the finely patterned tail on both male and female Elegant Trogons. The similar but smaller Collared Trogon is found mainly at lower elevation and has much finer barring on the underside of the tail.

Laggar Falcon

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Buff-breasted Wheatear

Buff-breasted Wheatear

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A chunky, pale, brownish wheatear of mountain habitats in southwestern Arabia. Note the white eyebrow, black eye stripe, clean white throat, and buff breast. The tail is mostly black with a white base and rump, forming a thick “T” pattern that is conspicuous in flight. Found in open habitats at high elevations. The song is a long, complex mix of many different components, both scratchy and musical, sometimes given in a flight display. Similar overall to several other species of wheatears, but no other species shows a combination of large size, long legs, black-and-white pattern on the face, and buff breast.

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