Description
These birds have grey brown upperparts, grey throat and breast with some mottling, and a pale buff belly. The head and nape are grey. The Sri Lankan form T. a. taprobanus is drab pale grey. Nominate race of southern India has whitish crown and nape with a darker mantle. The rump is paler and the tail has a broad dark tip. Birds in the extreme south of India are very similar to the Sri Lankan subspecies with the colour of the crown and back being more grey. The eye is bluish white. The Indian form is more heavily streaked on the throat and breast. The Sri Lankan subspecies resembles the Jungle Babbler, Turdoides striatus, although that species does not occur on the island.
Seven distinctive vocalizations have been noted in this species and this species has a higher pitched call than the Jungle Babbler. The Jungle Babbler has calls that have a harsher and nasal quality.
The taxonomy of this species was confused in the past and confounded with the sympatric Jungle Babbler and the Orange-billed Babbler of Sri Lanka.
Read more about this topic: Yellow-billed Babbler
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