Giant babax
species of bird
The giant babax (Pterorhinus waddelli) is a species of bird in the laughingthrush family Leiothrichidae, found in northeast India and southern Tibet. It prefers the low bushes at the edge of the southern Tibetan plateau, but it can adapt to both dry and cold mountain habitats. It is also commonly seen around villages and monasteries, where it feeds off scraps.
Description
It is a bulky, long-tailed brown bird with a curved bill and dark streaks. On average, it is 31–34 cm (12–13 in) long. Its vocalizations vary between melodic flute-like notes and harsh jabbering ones.
Threats
It is threatened by habitat loss.
Diet
Its diet includes insects (Lepidoptera and Diptera) and berries in the summer, and crop seeds, berries, and plant rhizomes in the winter.
Breeding
Its breeding season lasts from May to July. It mainly nests in willows (Salix longistamina), Rosa sericea, Populus szechuanica, Cotoneaster microphyllus, and elm trees.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q62083675. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Giant babax” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.