page_title: Large grey babbler
section_title: Behaviour and ecology
hierarchical_section_title: Large grey babbler / Behaviour and ecology
caption_attribution_description: English: Large Grey Babbler Turdoides malcolmi in Parli, Maharashtra, India.
context_page_description: The large grey babbler is a member of the family Leiothrichidae found across India and far western Nepal. They are locally common in the scrub, open forest and gardenland. They are usually seen in small groups and are easily distinguished from other babblers in the region by their nasal call and the whitish outer feathers to their long tail. It is one of the largest babblers in the region.
context_section_description: The species is found in small flocks which keep in contact with loud nasal calls. Members of the flock may join in defending against predators. Individuals may also attack their own reflections. They are mostly seen in open scrub country where they forage on or close to the ground. They hop and leap on the ground in search of prey. Individuals in a group may indulge in play behaviour. They feed mainly on insects but also feed on small lizards, molluscs and arachnids. They also feed on seeds, grains and berries. They are found in gardens within some cities such as Pune and Ahmedabad. In other cities such as Bangalore, they are seen only on the outskirts of the expanding urban zone.
  They are known to breed through the year but mainly during the rainy season from March to September. The usual clutch is four eggs. The nest is a shallow cup placed in a shrub often of thorny species. Their nests are parasitized by the pied cuckoo and the common hawk-cuckoo. It has been suggested that more than one female may lay eggs in a single nest and help in incubation, however this has not been verified.
  Although secure with a wide distribution, some local populations are threatened by hunting for meat. An endoparasitic cestodes Vogea vestibularis has been described from this species.
caption: Allopreening (Parli, Maharashtra, India)
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