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19

White-browed Babbler (Pomatostomus superciliosus) Alternate name(s): "White-eyebrowed Chatterer", "Go-away", "Stick-bird", "Kangaroo-bird", "Jumper", "Happy Family*", "Cackler*" Aboriginal name(s): "ngowen" (WA); "juin-juin" Size: 19-22 cm Weight: 30-45 g

Australia: Family Group 19 Family Group 19 Table Southern Scrub-robin Northern Scrub-robin Hooded Robin Dusky Robin Rose Robin Pink Robin Flame Robin Scarlet Robin Norfolk Robin Red-capped Robin Grey-headed Robin White-browed Robin Buff-sided Robin Mangrove Robin White-breasted Robin Western Yellow Robin Eastern Yellow Robin Pale-yellow Robin White-faced Robin Yellow-legged Flycatcher Lemon-bellied Flycatcher Jacky Winter Logrunner Chowchilla White-browed Babbler Hall's Babbler Grey-crowned Babbler Chestnut-crowned Babbler Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description White-browed Babblers are the smallest of the Australian babblers. Their plumage is dark brown, except for a white front from throat to chest, long white eyebrows and a white terminal band on the tail. Head and uppertail are the darkest parts, being very dark brown. The eyes have dark irises. The long, slightly down-curved bill is black. The legs and feet are dark-grey. Juveniles have duller colours and the parts that are white in adults are buff-coloured. Twitcher's tip Compared with Hall's Babblers, they are lighter of colour and have less colour contrast in their facial masks.

Taxonomy, classification See White-browed Babbler at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the White-browed Babbler is available HERE . NB: Reports on ebird of birds submitted by birdwatchers from the Australian Outback tend to be clustered along roads and public areas such as camp grounds; in such cases their distribution is not a good representation of the overall distribution of the species. White-browed Babblers are endemic to Australia. All four races of White-browed Babblers are found in the South or centre of the Australian continent. Race "ashbyi" populates the South-West corner of WA, except the Perth area. In inland NSW and central southern QLD, East of a line through Mildura, race "gilgandra" is found. In the far south-western corner of QLD, the north-western corner of SA, south-western quarter of the NT and eastern central WA one finds race "centralis". The rest of the range, i.e. central and south-eastern WA, the southern half of SA and a narrow fringe in far-western NSW, is occupied by nominate race "superciliosus". With one exception (the south-western part of the NT) there are no White-browed Babblers North of the tropic of Capricorn. There are none in QLD, except the far south-western corner, or along the East and South coast of Australia either. White-browed Babblers can be found in relatively dry scrub, woodland or forest, often with undergrowth, or mallee.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "superciliosus" White-browed Babblers, nominate race "superciliosus", were found by us in the Flinders Ranges, 50 km North of Hawker, SA, in March 2008. R. Plumtree reports finding White-browed Babblers, nominate race "superciliosus", in Bronzewing State Forest, near Patchewollock, VIC, October 2019. M. Eaton found White-browed Babblers, nominate race "superciliosus", at the Whyalla Conservation Park, Whyalla, SA, in June 2022. Race "gilgandra" We first spotted White-browed Babblers, race "gilgandra", on the northern edge of Jack's Creek State Forest, 20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, where we saw them infrequently in the years 2003-2006. Since 2006 we have found White-browed Babblers in various other locations of the Pilliga scrub. They are also spotted by us regularly since February 2008 in Deriah Aboriginal Area, and on the western fringes of Mt. Kaputar NP, 30-40 km East of Narrabri. Next we found a small number of White-browed Babblers, race "gilgandra", in Leard State Forest, NSW, in November 2012. White-browed Babblers, race "gilgandra", were also spotted by us in December 2008 at Porcupine Reserve in Gunnedah, NSW. M. Eaton reports finding White-browed Babblers, race "gilgandra", at Durikai SF, near Warwick, QLD, in August 2017. This location is on the north-eastern edge of the species' range. Race "ashbyi" J. Greaves reports spotting White-browed Babblers, race "ashbyi", at Merredin, WA, in February 2015, and at Wave Rock, near Hyden, WA, in March 2017. Race "centralis" B. Hensen reports finding White-browed Babblers, race "centralis", in the township of Alice Springs, NT, in July 2018.

Photos

Race "superciliosus"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a White-browed Babbler (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Whyalla Conservation Park, Whyalla, SA, June 2022]

Frontal view of a White-browed Babbler looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Whyalla Conservation Park, Whyalla, SA, June 2022]

Lateral view of a White-browed Babbler (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Bronzewing State Forest, near Patchewollock, VIC, October 2019]

Lateral view of a White-browed Babbler (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Whyalla Conservation Park, Whyalla, SA, June 2022]

Lateral view of a White-browed Babbler
[Flinders Ranges, SA, March 2008]

Race "gilgandra"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a White-browed Babbler, with another moving in the background
[Pilliga NP, NSW, June 2022]

Frontal view of a White-browed Babbler looking sideways
[Pilliga NP, NSW, December 2022]

Near-frontal view of a White-browed Babbler
[Pilliga NP, NSW, May 2021]

Near-frontal view of a preening White-browed Babbler
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, March 2016]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a White-browed Babbler
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, March 2016]

Near-lateral view of a White-browed Babbler
[Leard State Forest, near Maules Creek, NSW, November 2012]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a White-browed Babbler (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Pilliga NP, NSW, August 2021]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a White-browed Babbler (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Pilliga scrub, NSW, May 2022]

Lateral view of a White-browed Babbler
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, December 2012]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a juvenile White-browed Babbler - note the buff supercilium
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, December 2012]

Race "ashbyi"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a White-browed Babbler (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Wave Rock, near Hyden, WA, March 2017]

Frontal view of two White-browed Babblers (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Merredin, WA, February 2015]

Near-lateral view of a White-browed Babbler (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Wave Rock, near Hyden, WA, March 2017]

Near-lateral view of two White-browed Babblers (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Merredin, WA, February 2015]

Two White-browed Babblers (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Merredin, WA, February 2015]

Race "centralis"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of a White-browed Babbler (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Alice Springs, NT, July 2018]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Jul - Dec

Eggs: 2 - 3

Incubation period: 17 - 25 days

Fledging age: 19 - 22 days

We have noticed a preference of White-browed Babblers in the Narrabri area for nesting in Cypress pines.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Dome

Material: Sticks, with grass and/or feather lining

Height above ground: 1 - 6 m

Well-protected White-browed Babbler nest (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Pilliga NP, NSW, August 2021]

"Double-storey" stick nest of a family of White-browed Babblers, which was still being prepared for use in late December
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, December 2012]

White-browed Babbler leaving its nest
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, December 2012]

White-browed Babbler entering its nest
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, December 2012]

White-browed Babbler carrying nesting material
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, December 2012]

This nest, made out of sticks, is approximately oval in shape
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, December 2008]

The following photos demonstrate that White-browed Babblers, although usually building somewhat chaotic-looking stick nests, do not shy away from re-using a mudnest (without sticks or dense vegetation to hide it).

White-browed Babbler approaching its nest, a reused nest of White-winged Choughs (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Leard State Forest, near Maules Creek, NSW, November 2012]

Here one can see the White-browed Babbler's tail sticking out on the left (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Leard State Forest, near Maules Creek, NSW, November 2012]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 25 x 17 mm

Colour: Mid-brown with strong colour pattern

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Family clan

Like other babblers, White-browed Babblers build roosts, on which they stay overnight.

White-browed Babbler roost; to the best of our knowledge this is NOT a nest
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, September 2014]

White-browed Babbler roost
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, September 2015]

White-browed Babblers form tight-knit family units. Allopreening is used regularly as a bonding ritual.

Near-frontal view of a preening White-browed Babbler
[Pilliga NP, NSW, May 2021]

Near-frontal view of the same preening White-browed Babbler, now receiving a treat from its mate
[Pilliga NP, NSW, May 2021]

Here the White-browed Babbler first receiving a treat is reciprocating the favour (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Pilliga NP, NSW, May 2021]

This White-browed Babbler was observed while calling softly; two mates responded and started preening it from both sides
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, March 2016]

White-browed Babblers are very active birds; when they are foraging on the ground, soil can be seen flying.

Lateral view of a White-browed Babbler foraging on the ground
[Pilliga NP, NSW, May 2021]

Lateral view of a White-browed Babbler foraging on the ground, sending dirt flying (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Pilliga NP, NSW, May 2021]

Food, Diet

Like all other babblers of the Pomatostomus family, White-browed Babblers hunt for insects and their larvae in trees and on the ground.

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

whbrbab_me_20220605.m4a	superciliosus (S SA)	Various	© ME
whbrbab_20220502.m4a	gilgandra (NW NSW)	Contact calls?	© MD
whbrbab_20210515.m4a	gilgandra (NW NSW)	Various (family clan of 5)	© MD
whbrbab_20220502_3.m4a	gilgandra (NW NSW)	Various, incl. alarm (large family clan)	© MD
whbrbab_20180930.m4a	gilgandra (NW NSW)	? (disturbed; returning to nest)	© MD
whbrbab_20180930_2.m4a	gilgandra (NW NSW)	? (disturbed; returning to nest)	© MD
whbrbab_jg_20150210.m4a	ashbyi (SW WA)	?	© JG

We have also been able to record wing beats of White-browed Babblers.

whbrbab_20220502_2.m4a

gilgandra (NW NSW)

Fluttering in alarm

© MD

More White-browed Babbler sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Wed, 28 December 2022, 10:17 +00:00