Jungle babbler

The jungle babbler is a member of the family Leiothrichidae found in the Indian subcontinent. Jungle babblers are gregarious birds that forage in small groups of six to ten birds, a habit that has given them the popular name of "Seven Sisters" in urban Northern India, and in Bengali, with cognates in other regional languages which also mean "seven brothers".

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Distribution

Region

Indian Subcontinent

Typical Environment

Occurs widely across much of India and parts of Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, especially in lowlands and foothills. Prefers open woodland, scrub, hedgerows, rural fields, and city parks rather than dense forest. Common around villages and suburban neighborhoods where it forages on the ground and in low shrubs. Avoids very arid deserts and dense evergreen forests.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 1800 m

Climate Zone

Subtropical

Characteristics

Size22–25 cm

Wing Span30–33 cm

Male Weight0.07 kg

Female Weight0.065 kg

Life Expectancy5 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

Famous for moving in tight-knit parties of six to ten birds, the jungle babbler is widely nicknamed the 'Seven Sisters' across northern India. Groups keep in contact with continuous chatter and use sentinel behavior, with one bird often standing guard while others forage. They readily adapt to gardens and urban parks and can become surprisingly confiding around people.

Gallery

Adult ssp. orientalis in Kawal, A.P., India.

A pair from Western Ghats allopreening after a monsoon rain

Behaviour

Temperament

social and active

Flight Pattern

short rapid wingbeats

Social Behavior

Highly gregarious, moving and foraging in cohesive family groups that maintain contact with constant calls. Exhibits cooperative breeding, with helpers assisting in nest defense and feeding. Nests are cup-shaped and placed in low trees or shrubs; groups roost communally.

Migratory Pattern

Resident

Song Description

Produces a noisy mix of chatters, churrs, and scolding notes with frequent call-and-response within the group. Vocalizations are more about maintaining contact and alarm than melodious song, creating a constant background chatter where they occur.

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Identification

Comb Type

Plumage Description

Feather Color

Leg Color

Earlobe Color

Eye Color

Feeding Habits

Diet

Preferred Environment

Requires Supplement

Population

Conservation Status

Species Status

Wild Population

Total Known Population

Jungle bush quail

The jungle bush quail is a species of quail in the family Phasianidae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent, where it is found in peninsular India and Sri Lanka. It has also been reported from Nepal but has not been seen there since the 19th century, and an introduced population exists on the island of Réunion. A small species of quail 15–18 cm (5.9–7.1 in) long and weighing 57–82 g (2.0–2.9 oz), it shows significant sexual dimorphism. Males have brown upperparts with blackish and buff marking and whitish underparts with black barring. The face is mainly dark reddish-brown, with brown ear-coverts, a buffy-white moustachial stripe, and the supercilium turning whitish towards the back of the neck. Females have a similar pattern, but with pinkish-brown underparts, more uniform wings, and duller moustachial stripes.

Jungle myna

The jungle myna is a myna, a member of the starling family. It is found patchily distributed across much of the mainland of the Indian Subcontinent but absent in the arid zones of India. It is easily recognized by the tuft of feathers on its forehead that form a frontal crest, a feature also found in the closely related Javan myna and the pale-bellied myna which were treated as a subspecies in the past. The eyes are pale, yellow or blue depending on the population and the base of the orange-yellow bill is dark. It has also been introduced either intentionally or accidentally into many other parts of the world including Fiji, Taiwan, the Andaman Islands, and parts of Japan. The species has also spread out on its own to some islands in the Pacific.

Jungle nightjar

The jungle nightjar is a species of nightjar found in the Indian Subcontinent. It is found mainly on the edge of forests where it is seen or heard at dusk. The taxonomy of this and related nightjars is complex and a range of treatments have been followed that cover this and several other nightjars in the Asian region. It was formerly called the grey nightjar or Indian jungle nightjar and sometimes included the East Asian grey nightjar as a subspecies.

Jungle owlet

The jungle owlet or barred jungle owlet is native to the Indian Subcontinent. The species is often found singly, in pairs or small groups, and they are usually detected by their calls at dawn and dusk. There are two subspecies, with that found in the Western Ghats sometimes considered a full species.