Common Babbler

Rarely found north of cold subantarctic waters; ranges south to pack-ice in summer. Adult has a gray head, thick black underwing margins like much commoner Black-browed Albatross. Immatures look similar to Black-browed overall, but told by black bill that soon develops yellow along top, and often with variable gray hood. Yellow bill edges narrower than the more lightly built Buller’s Albatross, which occurs to the north but is often mistaken for Gray-headed.

Dull-brown laughingthrush with a dark throat, speckled orange breast, and a thin ochre-orange line curving elegantly over the eye. Dark bill is heavy-looking and somewhat corvid-like. Restricted to the Langbian Plateau in southern Vietnam, where it is unlikely to be confused with any other species. Inhabits foothill and submontane forest, forest edge, and scrubby areas with dense ground cover. Forages low in dense vegetation or on the ground, usually in pairs of flocks. Can be difficult to see as it scratches about furtively. Musical song is quite beautiful and incorporates some mimicry.

Common in foothills of the Andes, from barren rocky canyons to villages, agricultural terraces, and scrubby hillsides, mainly at lower elevations than Bright-rumped Yellow-Finch, which favors puna habitats. Male is well-named—drab greenish yellow overall. Female is notably drab and nondescript. In all plumages note lack of any streaking or contrastingly bright yellow areas. Compare with longer-winged Greater Yellow-Finch (some overlap of range in winter).