Bird Guide

Large Grey Babbler vs Rufous Babbler

Large Grey Babbler (Argya malcolmi)

Large Grey Babbler

Argya malcolmi

Medium76 gShrubland

This long-tailed and large babbler has a brown body with creamy white outer tail feathers which are easily visible as they fly with fluttery wing beats low over the ground. The lores are dark and forehead is grey with white shaft streaks on the feathers. The rump and uppertail covers are pale grey. The mantle has dusky blotches and no shaft streaks. The three outer tail feathers are white and the fourth pair has the outer web white. The wings are darker brown. The iris is yellow and the upper mandible is dark brown while the lower mandible is yellowish. The tail is faintly cross barred.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Rupal Vaidya · CC BY 2.0
Rufous Babbler (Argya subrufa)

Rufous Babbler

Argya subrufa

Medium67 gShrubland

This babbler is large and dark olive brown above with a grey forehead. The wing feathers have a rufous tinge. The feathers of the forehead have black shafts. The iris is pale white to yellow and the lores are dark. The underside is bright rufous, and paler on the center of the throat and belly. The nominate form (type location: Mananthawadi) is found in the Western Ghats north of the Palghat Gap while hyperythra found to the south is said to be more richly coloured. They are 25–26 cm long with a wing of 8.7-9.0 cm. The tail is about 11–11.5 cm long.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Rufous Babbler
Recorded by Jairam Vijayan · Song · Payyavoor, Kannur, Kerala, India · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Rison Thumboor from Thrissur, India · CC BY 2.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Large Grey Babbler and Rufous Babbler.