babbler

babbler common name for some members of the large, diversified family Timaliidae, passerine birds found primarily in wooded areas of Asia, Africa, and Australia. Babblers have soft, fluffy plumage and vary in coloring; various species resemble other birds, and five of the seven groups of babblers are named on this basis—the wren babblers, the tit babblers, the laughing thrushes, and the crow tits, or parrotbills. The wren tit, the only American babbler (found W of the Rockies), is believed to be an offshoot of the crow tits. Other groups are called ground babblers, found in Australia; jungle babblers, distributed in the Philippines; and rock fowl, found in W Africa. Babblers are insectivorous and, as their name suggests, are noisy birds. They are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Passeriformes, family Timaliidae.

Timaliidae (babblers, fulvettas, nun babblers, rail-babbler; class Aves, order Passeriformes) A family of fairly small birds, most of which are brown, grey, and buff, but some of which have brighter colours. They have varied bill shapes, short, rounded wings, and many have long tails. Their feathers are soft, and long on the back. They are mainly arboreal, although some are terrestrial, and inhabit forests and scrub. They feed on insects and fruit, and nest in cup-shaped or domed nests in trees, bushes, grass, or on the ground. Eupetes macrocercus (rail-babbler) hunts insects by running along the ground. Some (e.g. Turdoides) are noted for their loud and melodious song; the white-crested laughing thrush (one of the 48 species of Garrulax, laughing thrushes) is a popular cage bird. There are about 57 genera in the family, with 275 species, found in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australasia.