Habitat
Open mallee woodlands and shrublands, usually dominated by eucalypts, with scattered large domed shrubs in understorey, and a ground cover of spinifex. Usually in noisy, active, groups of four to fifteen, occasionally in larger groups.
Inland south-eastern Australia from south-western Queensland and north-eastern South Australia south to western New South Wales and extreme north-western Victoria.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Voice
A whistling, 'tsee-tsee, tsee-tsee' uttered in contact. Chattering among family members. Whistling calls intermixed with 'tchak-tchak-tchak', which becomes louder, more rapid in excited play, quarrels and alarm. A strident, piping, territorial song.
Chestnut-crowned Babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps) [XC40763]
by Marc Anderson from Brookfield Conservation Park, SA, Australia (song?)
Chestnut-crowned Babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps) [XC860230]
by id from Gluepot Reserve, South Australia, Australia (call)
Nest
Bulky, dome-shaped, with a side entrance, composed of twigs, lined with grass, wool or other soft materials, placed in a tree, from about 3 - 7 or 8 m above the ground.
Eggs (Guide)
3 - 5, rarely 7; pale grey-brown with hair-lines of sepia and dusky; oval; about 26 x 18 mm.
Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Probably fed by both parents and helpers.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet