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The Arrow-marked Babbler is an important host of [[Levaillant's Cuckoo]] which parasitises 7-8% of nests in southern Africa. | The Arrow-marked Babbler is an important host of [[Levaillant's Cuckoo]] which parasitises 7-8% of nests in southern Africa. | ||
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Voice: Nasal whirring ra-ra-ra-ra-ra, usually in chorus; harsh chak-chak-chak; 1 or 2 birds start calling, others join in crescendo, then calling dies away. | Voice: Nasal whirring ra-ra-ra-ra-ra, usually in chorus; harsh chak-chak-chak; 1 or 2 birds start calling, others join in crescendo, then calling dies away. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 15:00, 14 October 2008
- Turdoides jardineii
Identification
Length 23-25 cm, mass 56-86 g.
Adult: Above brown, streaked blackish, with indistinct white spots on the rump and upper tail coverts; below brownish grey, streaked with white arrowhead markings; wings and tail dark brown. Eyes look light orange in the field, but the irises are actually orange with a red outer ring, or yellow with an orange outer ring. The bill, legs and feet are black.
Immature: Buffy; lacks white streaks; spotted dusky below; eye brown.
Distribution
North-eastern South Africa, eastern Botswana, north-eastern Namibia, Mozambique and Zimbabwe and north to Kenya and Cabinda (north-western Angola).
Taxonomy
Turdoides jardineii has eight subspecies that vary in the shade of the brown plumage and in size.
Habitat
Thickets in woodland, savanna and secondary vegetation. Also exotic plantations and gardens.
Behaviour
Gregarious. Forages on the ground and in undergrowth in noisy groups of 4-10 birds. Flight straight with alternating fluttering and gliding; members of flock follow each other in loose succession from bush to bush. Roosts communally. Food: Invertebrates, lizards, seeds, fruit and nectar.
Breeding: This species breeds co-operatively; all members of a group (up to seven individuals) contribute to nest-building, incubation and feeding of nestlings. The nest is a mass of grass and twigs with a bowl-shaped hollow on top, lined with fibres and rootlets. It is usually 3-7 m above the ground in dense cover. Two to five eggs (usually three) are laid October to March in the south and throughout the year through most of its range. Eggs are plain turquoise or greenish blue.
The Arrow-marked Babbler is an important host of Levaillant's Cuckoo which parasitises 7-8% of nests in southern Africa.
Vocalisation
Voice: Nasal whirring ra-ra-ra-ra-ra, usually in chorus; harsh chak-chak-chak; 1 or 2 birds start calling, others join in crescendo, then calling dies away.
References
Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ & Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Robert's Birds of Southern Africa, 7th edition. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. ISBN 0620340533
