Alternative name: Rusty Babbler
- Argya rubiginosa
Turdoides rubiginosa
Identification
A smallish Turdoides-babbler, 19 -23cm (7½-9 in)
- Olive-brown above
- Yellowish-rufous below
- Olive-brown to greenish bill
- Greyish-brown legs
Distribution
Found in eastern Africa where locally common:
Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Taxonomy
Sometimes placed in genus Turdoides. Has been considered to form a superspecies with Fulvous Babbler.
The scientific name has been spelled Turdoides rubiginosus in the past.
Subspecies
Four subspecies usually accepted[1]:
- A. r. rubiginosa:
- southeastern South Sudan, Ethiopia, northern Uganda, and Kenya (except southeast)
- A. r. sharpii:
- A. r. heuglini:
- A. r. emini:
- north-central Tanzania
Habitat
Dry savanna and shrubland.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on invertebrates, including termites. Takes also mango and papaya rinds.
It forages close to the ground in leaf litter. Usually seen in small groups or around 5 birds. Where ranges overlap often seen together with Brown Babblers.
Breeding
Breeding season all-year. Co-operative breeder who lives in a territorial group. The nest is an untidy cup, made of twigs, plant stems, leaves and other vegetable matter. It's placed up to 3m in a thick bush, a leafy tree or in dense mass of Bougainvillea. Lays 2 - 4 eggs.
Movements
Resident species.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Rufous Chatterer. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 13 October 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Rufous_Chatterer
External Links
