Population
Estimated population is 2,500 - 9,999 (2010) and decreasing.
Status VU
Extensive loss and modification of tall grasslands and reedswamp due to drainage, conversion to agriculture, overgrazing by domestic livestock, over harvesting of grass for thatch production, untimely cutting and burning of grass, inappropriate grassland management within protected areas and heavy flooding, are the main threats.
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.
Habits
Gregarious but generally shy.
Voice
Song includes shrill, rather high 'yi chiwiyu chiwiyu'chiwiyu'chiwiyu'chiwiyu' and clear high 'wiii-wii-jiu-di, wiii-wii-dju-di or wi-yu-ii'. Also, four to six note 'chiu-chiu-chiu-chiu' and discordant, high 'tiu-tiu-tiu, tit-tit' and 'tiu-tiu-tit-tit-tu-tu'.
Slender-billed Babbler (Argya longirostris) [XC347458]
by Paul J Willoughby from Chitwan, Narayani, Central Development Region, Nepal (song)
Slender-billed Babbler (Argya longirostris) [XC362916]
by Peter Boesman from Manas National Park, Assam, India (song)
Subspecies
Individuals of this species reported from south-western Myanmar have not yet been assigned to subspecies.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
longirostris (Moore, 1854) - South-central Nepal and adjacent Oudh Tarai (north-western Bihar, in India), also north-eastern India from northern West Bengal east through R Brahmaputra plains to Assam.