Abbott`s babbler is an Indian bird that bears a scientific name "Malacocincla abbotti" found in the forest areas of South Asia and the South East Asia like Indonesia, Bangkok, Cambodia.
Category of Abbott`s Babbler
Abbott`s Babbler is a species of bird in the Pellorneidae family.
Distribution of Abbott`s Babbler
Abbott`s Babbler is widely distributed along the Himalayan Mountain Range in South Asia and extending into the forests of Southeast Asia.
Structure of Abbott`s Babbler
Abbott`s Babblers are short-tailed and stout birds which forage in pairs in dense undergrowth close to the ground and their presence is indicated by their distinctive calls.
Sexes of Abbott`s Babbler
The adult Abbott`s Babbler is a nondescript brown, short-tailed babbler that moves about in the low vegetation often near streams and in the vicinity of tree ferns and tangled vegetation. The throat is greyish white while the centre of the belly is white and the flanks are olive. The under tail coverts are rusty. The sexes are alike. It has a short tail and heavy bill; it is drab olive-brown with bright rusty lower flanks and vent, a greyish-white throat and breast and variable pale grey supercilium and lores. Juvenile birds have dark rufescent-brown crowns and upperparts.
Genus of Abbott`s Babbler
The genus name of Abbott`s Babbler is Malacocincla, which is derived from the Ancient Greek malakos, meaning soft; combined with modern Latin cinclus, meaning thrush; referring to the birds` full and drooping plumage. The specific name abbotti was given by Edward Blyth after the specimen collector, Lieutenant Colonel J. R. Abbott (1811-1888) who served in British India as Assistant Commissioner of the Arakan from 1837 to 1845. Blyth placed it in a new genus Malacocincla but subsequent workers placed it in Turdinus and Trichastoma. A revision reinstated its placement in Malacocincla in 1985 while a 2001 study confirmed the cohesiveness of the Trichastoma group.
Behaviour of Abbott`s Babbler
Abbott`s Babbler usually moves around in pairs close to the ground. They breed from April to July (summer monsoon), with the nest being a carefully placed but bulky cup low in palms or other undergrowth. A study in Thailand found that most nests are placed in spiny palms and rattans.
Eggs of Abbott`s Babbler
The usual clutch of Abbott`s Babbler is 3 to 5 eggs which are bright salmon with dark blotches and red lines. When disturbed at the nest, the bird slip over the edge and fly with laboured wing beats and then hop out of sight.
Calls of Abbott`s Babbler
The call of Abbott`s Babbler consists of three or four notes with a drop on the middle note. The antiphonal duet of a male and female has the male leading with a "poor`ol bear" followed by the females "dear dear". The tunes may however change over time. The birds tend to remain within a well marked area and do not wander widely. The song is a variable short series of around three to four notes of rich, fluty, liquid, slurred, short whistled notes; these are sometimes delivered haltingly and sometimes rapidly. The evening group song consists of a recurrent sputtering churrr sound, which is low and slurred; ending with a sharp chreep. The calls of Abbott`s babbler include soft mewing notes, and a pulsing, purring trill when agitated.
