Hall's Babbler
Pomatostomus halli
The Hall's Babbler (Pomatostomus halli) is a rare australasian babbler found only in Australia, weighing about 42 g. Hall's babbler is a small species of bird in the family Pomatostomidae most commonly found in dry Acacia scrubland in interior regions of eastern Australia.
About the Hall's Babbler
Hall's babbler is a small species of bird in the family Pomatostomidae most commonly found in dry Acacia scrubland in interior regions of eastern Australia. Superficially similar to the white-browed babbler this species was only recognised during the 1960s, which makes it a comparatively recent discovery. The bird is named after the Australian-born philanthropist Major Harold Wesley Hall, who funded a series of expeditions to collect specimens for the British Museum, during which the first specimens of Hall's babbler were collected in southwestern Queensland in 1963.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Hall's babbler is medium in size (19 cm-21 cm) and identified by its thick white eyebrows and a white 'bib' from chin to mid-breast, which is sharply demarcated from the brown lower breast to belly. The tail feathers are tipped white, with the amount of white decreasing from the outermost to innermost feather, where most birds lack white tips on the central pair of feathers; this pattern creates distinctive white 'corners' to the fanned tail, which is conspicuous in flight. The legs and feet are dark grey. The bill is curved and the iris is dark brown. Voice: The calls consist of constant 'clucks' while foraging, and an alarm call which sounds more like a loud buzzing, usually resulting in flocks retreating to the cover of trees.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October, with peak activity in August. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Hall's Babbler?
- Hall's babbler is medium in size (19 cm-21 cm) and identified by its thick white eyebrows and a white 'bib' from chin to mid-breast, which is sharply demarcated from the brown lower breast to belly. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Hall's Babbler?
- The Hall's Babbler is a small sized bird weighing about 42 g.
- Where can you see a Hall's Babbler?
- The Hall's Babbler is endemic to Australia, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Hall's Babbler?
- The Hall's Babbler is most easily confused with the Chestnut-crowned Babbler, the White-browed Babbler and the Grey-crowned Babbler.
- Is the Hall's Babbler endangered?
- The Hall's Babbler is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Hall's Babbler for real
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