Hall's babbler
| Hall's babbler | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Pomatostomidae |
| Genus: | Pomatostomus |
| Species: | P. halli |
| Binomial name | |
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Pomatostomus halli Cowles, 1964 |
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Hall's babbler is a small species of bird in the Pomatostomidae family most commonly found in dry Acacia scrubland of interior regions of eastern Australia. Superficially similar to the white-browed babbler this species was only recognised during the 1960s, which makes it a comparatively recent discovery. The bird is named after the Australian-born philanthropist Major Harold Wesley Hall, who funded a series of expeditions to collect specimens for the British Museum, during which the first specimens of Hall's Babbler were collected in south-western Queensland in 1963.
Hall's babbler is medium in size (19 cm-21 cm) and identified by its thick white eyebrows and a white 'bib' from chin to mid-breast which is sharply demarcated from the brown lower breast to belly. The tail feathers are tipped white, with the amount of white decreasing from the outermost to innermost feather, where most birds lack white tips on the central pair of feathers; this pattern creates distinctive white 'corners' to the fanned tail which is conspicuous in flight. The legs and feet are dark grey. The bill is curved and the iris is dark brown. As with other species of Australo-Papuan babbler, Hall's babbler is usually observed in small groups. The species is sexually dimorphic and sexually monochromatic. Juveniles are only distinguishable from adults for only a short time after fledging juveniles, during this time they have a shorter all-black, shorter and less curved bill and conspicuous yellow rictal flange and palate.
There are three other species of Australian babbler which are similar in appearance; The white-browed babbler (Pomatostomus superciliosus), the chestnut-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps) and the grey-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus temporalis). The white-browed babbler (Pomatostomus superciliosus) is considered most similar because of its size; however it can be distinguished by its thinner eyebrows and the lack of a sharp demarcation between the white breast and brown belly (which is diagnostic of Hall's Babbler). The chestnut-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps) has a distinctive chestnut crown, thinner eyebrows, and white tips to the wing coverts; it also lacks a sharp demarcation between the breast and belly. The considerably larger grey-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus temporalis) also has thick white eyebrows, but has a distinctive grey crown and a large rufous patch in the spread wing.
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Wikipedia