Scientific name:Pomatostomus temporalis temporalis Conservation status in NSW: Vulnerable
Description
The Grey-crowned Babbler is the largest of the four Australian babblers, reaching to 30 cm long. Its distinctive bill is scimitar-shaped, long and heavy. The broad white eyebrow and a pale grey crown-stripe are other distinguishing characters. A dark band passes from the bill through the eye, separating the pale throat and brow to giving a 'masked' look. It has dark greyish-brown upperparts and is paler brown on the underparts, grading to a whitish throat. It is distinctive in flight, showing white tips to the tail feathers, and orange-buff patches in the broad, rounded wings. Young birds have dark brown eyes, with the iris becoming paler with age, reaching a yellow colour by about three years. This species has a loud and often repeated ‘ya-hoo’ call which is a duet between the male and female (the female says ‘ya’ and the male answers with ‘hoo’). It is used to maintain the bond between the pair and as a territorial call. The ‘ya-hoo’ duet sequence is repeated rapidly, up to thirty times in a row.
Location and habitat
Distribution The Grey-crowned Babbler is found throughout large parts of northern Australia and in south-eastern Australia. In NSW, the eastern sub-species occurs on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, and on the western plains reaching as far as Louth and Hay. It also occurs in woodlands in the Hunter Valley and in several locations on the north coast of NSW. It may be extinct in the southern, central and New England tablelands.
Habitat and ecology
Inhabits open Box-Gum Woodlands on the slopes, and Box-Cypress-pine and open Box Woodlands on alluvial plains.
Flight is laborious so birds prefer to hop to the top of a tree and glide down to the next one. Birds are generally unable to cross large open areas.
Live in family groups that consist of a breeding pair and young from previous breeding seasons. A group may consist of up to fifteen birds. All members of the family group remain close to each other when foraging. A soft ‘chuck’ call is made by all birds as a way of keeping in contact with other group members.
Feed on invertebrates, either by foraging on the trunks and branches of eucalypts and other woodland trees or on the ground, digging and probing amongst litter and tussock grasses
Build and maintain several conspicuous, dome-shaped stick nests about the size of a football. A nest is used as a dormitory for roosting each night. Nests are usually located in shrubs or sapling eucalypts, although they may be built in the outermost leaves of low branches of large eucalypts. Nests are maintained year round, and old nests are often dismantled to build new ones.
Breed between July and February. Usually two to three eggs are laid and incubated by the female. During incubation, the adult male and several helpers in the group may feed the female as she sits on the nest. Young birds are fed by all other members of the group.
Territories range from one to fifty hectares (usually around ten hectares) and are defended all year. Territorial disputes with neighbouring groups are frequent and may last up to several hours, with much calling, chasing and occasional fighting. .
Regional information This species is found in the following catchment management authority regions. Click on a region name to see more details about the distribution, vegetation types and habitat preference of the species in that region.
Heavy grazing and removal of coarse, woody debris within woodland remnants.
Nest predation by species such as ravens and butcherbirds may be an issue in some regions where populations are small and fragmented.
Recovery strategies
Priority actions are the specific, practical things that must be done to recover a threatened species, population or ecological community. The Department of Environment and Conservation has identified 7 priority actions to help recover the Grey-crowned Babbler (eastern subspecies) in New South Wales.
What needs to be done to recover this species?
Retain existing woodland vegetation.
Retain dead timber on the ground in open woodland areas.
Encourage regeneration of habitat by fencing remnant stands.
Increase the size of existing remnants, planting trees and establishing buffer zones of unimproved uncultivated pasture around woodland remnants.
References
Garnett, S. and Crowley, G. M. (2000) The Action Plan for Australian Birds. Published by Environment Australia. Canberra, ACT.
Higgins, P.J. and Peter, J.M. (eds.) (2002) Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 6: Pardalotes to shrike-thrushes. Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
NSW Scientific Committee (2001) Grey-crowned babbler (eastern subspecies) - Vulnerable species determination - final. DEC (NSW), Sydney.
Pizzey, G. and Knight, F. (2003) The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia 7th Edition. Menkhorst, P. (ed). HarperCollins.
Reid, J.R.W. (1999) Threatened and declining birds in the New South Wales Sheep-Wheat Belt I: Diagnosis, characteristics and management. Consultancy report to NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. CSIRO Wildlife and Ecology, Canberra.
Robinson, D. and Traill, B.J. (1996) Conserving woodland birds in the wheat and sheep belts of southern Australia. RAOU Conservation Statement No. 10. Birds Australia, Melbourne.
Traill, B.J. and Duncan, S. (2000) Status of birds in the New South Wales Temperate woodlands region. Consultancy report to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Australian Woodlands Conservancy, Chiltern, Victoria.
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