Wildlifeof Vietnam
Abbott's Babbler
Babblers, Laughingthrushes & White-eyes
Photo: Francesco Veronesi · CC BY-SA 2.0
Malacocincla abbotti
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Basic stats
Habitat
Dense undergrowth near the ground, often near streams, tree ferns and tangled vegetation; occurs up to 600m (275m in Nepal); bulky cup nest low in palms or other undergrowth
Range
Widely distributed along the Himalayas in South Asia and extending into Southeast Asia forests
Clutch size
Usually 3–5 bright salmon eggs with dark blotches and red lines
Size
12–13cm
Abbott's babbler is a nondescript, brown, short-tailed, stout babbler, 12 to 13cm long, widely distributed along the Himalayas in South Asia and extending into the forests of Southeast Asia. It forages in pairs in dense undergrowth close to the ground, often near streams and tree ferns, with a grey-white throat, white central belly, olive flanks and rusty undertail coverts. It occurs up to 600m, and 275m in Nepal (Wikipedia, general species account).
The calls are distinctive: three or four notes with a drop on the middle note, and an evening group song of a recurrent sputtering 'churrr' ending in a sharp 'chreep'. Breeding is from April to July, with a bulky cup nest placed low in palms or other undergrowth, and three to five bright salmon eggs. The account opened does not name Bhutan.
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Abbott's Babbler live in?
- Dense undergrowth near the ground, often near streams, tree ferns and tangled vegetation; occurs up to 600m (275m in Nepal); bulky cup nest low in palms or other undergrowth
- Where is the Abbott's Babbler found?
- Widely distributed along the Himalayas in South Asia and extending into Southeast Asia forests
- How many eggs does the Abbott's Babbler lay?
- Usually 3–5 bright salmon eggs with dark blotches and red lines
- How big is the Abbott's Babbler?
- 12–13cm