Indian Scimitar Babbler

Pomatorhinus horsfieldii

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernEndemicInvertebratesForestCavity nestSmall · 43 g

What the Indian Scimitar Babbler sounds like

Sonogram of the Indian Scimitar Babbler: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by K L Vinay · Duet, song · Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Indian Scimitar Babbler: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Sharad Apte · Call · Jamboti, Belgaum, Karnataka, India · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The most distinctive feature of this 22 cm long bird is the long down-curved yellow bill which is blackish at the base of the upper mandible. It has a striking head pattern, with a long white supercilium above a broad black band through the eye. The white throat and breast contrast with the dark greyish brown on the upperside and dark grey to black on most of the underside. The tail is broad, long and graduated. They have short, round wings and being weak fliers are rarely seen flying in the open.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Indian Scimitar Babbler

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 10 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is February, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Indian Scimitar Babbler

Regular range

The map shades 1 country with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

About the Indian Scimitar Babbler

The Indian scimitar babbler is an Old World babbler. It is found in peninsular India in a range of forest habitats. They are most often detected by their distinctive calls, which include an antiphonal duet by a pair of birds. They are often hard to see as they forage through dense vegetation. The long, curved yellow, scimitar-shaped bills give them their name. It has been treated in the past as a subspecies of the white-browed scimitar babbler which is found along the Himalayas but now separated into two species, the peninsular Indian species and the Sri Lanka scimitar babbler.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Side by side: Indian Scimitar Babbler vs Taiwan Scimitar Babbler

Learn the Indian Scimitar Babbler in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Every photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.