Arabian babbler (Turdoides squamiceps)

Description

Arabian babbler fact file

• Description
• Biology
• Range
• Habitat
• Status
• Threats
• Conservation
• Find out more
• Glossary
• References
• Print factsheet

Arabian babbler description

A superbly camouflaged dark brown bird, from a distance the Arabian babbler (Turdoides squamiceps) appears rather plain, but upon closer inspection the fluffy plumage is in fact quite attractive. The feathers covering the head have dark centres with white edges, giving an appealing mottled effect. The dark centres of the feathers on the underparts become lighter and the white turns a tan colour. The Arabian babbler has short, curved wings, an elongated tail that balances the bird as it weaves through dense or thorny vegetation, and a long, thin, slightly downward-pointing bill ⁽²⁾.

Also known as

Arabian brown.

French

Cratérope écaillé arabe.

Size

Length: c. 28 cm ⁽²⁾

Weight

65 - 85 g ⁽²⁾

Arabian babbler biology

Remaining close to cover, the Arabian babbler feeds mainly on insects, but during the winter when insects are scarce, it feeds largely on fruit, as well as small lizards and snakes ^{(2) (5)}. The Arabian babbler reproductive cycle is the most studied of the babbler species ⁽⁶⁾. Generally, two to three eggs are laid in an open-cup nest in a small tree ⁽⁶⁾, but in areas of reproductive conflict, multiple females will lay eggs in a single nest ⁽²⁾. The eggs are then incubated for some 14 or 15 days. Fledglings continue to receive food from adults up to two months after fledging ⁽⁶⁾. Babblers are cooperative breeders, meaning small, compact family groups cooperate to defend a territory and raise offspring. By defending an area with family members and helping to raise siblings, juvenile babblers build strong bonds within the group, which may help gain territories in later years, when they in turn breed ^{(2) (4)}.

Arabian babbler range

The Arabian Babbler is found from Yemen, Oman and the United Arab Emirates in the southern Arabian Peninsula into Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and Egypt ⁽³⁾.

Arabian babbler habitat

The Arabian babbler is found in a variety of different habitats, ranging from arable land and plantations, to grassland, saltmarshes, shrubland and true desert, up to altitudes of 2,800 metres ⁽³⁾. In the Negev desert of Israel, the Arabian babbler uses Acacia bushes for cover and nest sites ^{(2) (4)}.

Arabian babbler status

The Arabian babbler is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List ⁽¹⁾.

Arabian babbler threats

With a population that is thought to be increasing, there appear to be no major threats to the Arabian babbler. However, there are some local scale threats, including the unsustainable pumping of groundwater, which causes widespread tree mortality, resulting in uninhabitable areas ⁽⁶⁾. Furthermore, it is considered the most common resident bird in the Negev desert in Israel ⁽²⁾.

Arabian babbler conservation

There are currently no known conservation plans targeting the Arabian babbler, although it is found within a number of protected areas ⁽¹⁾.

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi is a principal sponsor of ARKive. EAD is working to protect and conserve the environment as well as promoting sustainable development in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Find out more

For more information about conservation in the Emirates

• The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi:
  http://www.ead.ae/en

For more information on the Arabian babbler and other bird species, see:

• BirdLife International:
  http://www.birdlife.org/

Authentication

Authenticated (21/01/2011) by Dr A Ridley, Research Fellow, Macquarie University,
http://www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za/docs/amanda.html

Glossary

Incubate

To keep eggs warm so that development is possible.

Territory

An area occupied and defended by an animal, a pair of animals or a colony.

References

1. IUCN Red List (September, 2010)
   http://www.iucnredlist.org/
2. Zahavi, A. (1990) Arabian babblers: the quest for social status in a cooperative breeder. In: Stacey, P.B. and Koenig, W.D. (Eds.) Cooperative Breeding in Birds: Long-term Studies of Ecology and Behaviour. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
3. BirdLife International - Arabian babbler (September, 2010)
   http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=7953&m=1
4. Perrins, C. (2009) The Encyclopedia of Birds. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
5. Dean, W.R.J. (2004) Nomadic Desert Birds. Springer-Verlag. Germany.
6. Ridley, A. (January, 2011) Pers. comm.