Orange-billed babbler
Argya rufescens (Blyth, 1847)
The orange-billed babbler (Argya rufescens) is a species in the family Leiothrichidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 64.5 g to 78.3 g and live up to 11.2 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
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Quick facts about the orange-billed babbler
- Weight
- 64.5 g – 78.3 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 11.2 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 16.5 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 14 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 3.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the orange-billed babbler live?
Not recorded
What is the orange-billed babbler?
The orange-billed babbler (Argya rufescens), also known as Ceylon rufous babbler or Sri Lankan rufous babbler, is a member of the family Leiothrichidae.
The orange-billed babbler is a resident breeding bird endemic to Sri Lanka. In the past, it was considered to be a race of jungle babbler, Argya striata.
Its habitat is rainforest, and it is rarely seen away from deep jungle. This species, like most babblers, is not migratory, and has short rounded wings and a weak flight.
Although its habitat is under threat, it occurs in all the forests of the wet zone, and is quite common at prime sites like Kitulgala and Sinharaja. It builds its nest in a tree, concealed in dense masses of foliage. The normal clutch is two or three deep greenish blue eggs.
These birds are plain orange brown below, and have a slightly darker shade above. The crown and nape are grey, and the bill is orange.
The orange-billed babbler lives in flocks of seven to ten or more. It is a noisy bird, and the presence of a flock may generally be known at some distance by the continual chattering, squeaking and chirping produced by its members. It is usually the first sign that a mixed-species feeding flock, so characteristic of Asian wet forests, is in the vicinity. It feeds mainly on insects, but also eats jungle berries.
From the Wikipedia article “Orange-billed babbler” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Orange-billed_babbler&oldid=1354257179), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the orange-billed babbler endangered?
The orange-billed babbler is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the orange-billed babbler classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyLeiothrichidae
- genusArgya
- SpeciesArgya rufescens (Blyth, 1847)
Synonyms Malacocercus rufescens, Turdoides rufescens, Turdoides striatus rufescens
Other names and names in other languages (36)
- tordenc de bec carbassaCatalan
- timálie srílanskáCzech
- preblyn-y-jyngl Sri LankaWelsh
- Sri Lanka-larmdrosselDanish
- CeylondrosslingGerman
- Orangeschnabel-DrosselhäherlingGerman
- Orangeschnabel-SchwatzhäherlingGerman
- oranĝbeka leiotrikoEsperanto
- Turdoide cingalésSpanish
- لیکوی نکنارنجیPersian
- srilankantimaliFinnish
- Cratérope de CeylanFrench
- žutonogi drozdaljCroatian
- Narancssárga-csőrű rigótimáliaHungarian
- Garrulo beccoarancioItalian
- Garrulo della giungla dello Sri LankaItalian
- Garrulo della giungla di Sri LankaItalian
- セイロンヤブチメドリJapanese
- šrilankinė strazdinė timalijaLithuanian
- Ceylonese BabbelaarDutch
- oransjenebbskriketrostNorwegian
- tymal cejlońskiPolish
- dżunglotymal cejlońskiPolish
- tymalczyk cejlońskiPolish
- zaragateiro-de-bico-laranjaPortuguese
- Оранжевоклювая дроздовкаRussian
- Цейлонская дроздовая тимелияRussian
- රතු දෙමලිච්චාSinhala
- ශ්රී ලංකා රතු දෙමලිච්චාSinhala
- timáliovec cejlónskySlovak
- ceylonskriktrastSwedish
- Turuncu Gagalı YedikardeşTurkish
- кратеропа цейлонськаUkrainian
- 橙嘴鶇鶥Chinese
- 橙嘴鶇鶥Chinese
- 橙嘴鸫鹛Chinese
Relatives of the orange-billed babbler
Other species in the same genus Argya.
Jungle babbler
Argya striata
Yellow-billed babbler
Argya affinis
Fulvous babbler
Argya fulva
Large grey babbler
Argya malcolmi
Iraq babbler
Argya altirostris
Striated babbler
Argya earlei
CompareOrange-billed babbler vs Jungle babblerOrange-billed babbler vs Yellow-billed babblerOrange-billed babbler vs Fulvous babblerOrange-billed babbler vs Large grey babbler
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the orange-billed babbler?
An adult orange-billed babbler weighs 64.5 g – 78.3 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the orange-billed babbler endangered?
The orange-billed babbler is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the orange-billed babbler live?
The orange-billed babbler has a recorded lifespan of 11.2 years.
What kind of animal is the orange-billed babbler?
The orange-billed babbler (Argya rufescens) belongs to the family Leiothrichidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Orange-billed babbler (Argya rufescens). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/orange-billed-babbler
“Orange-billed babbler (Argya rufescens).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/orange-billed-babbler.
@misc{orange_billed_babbler_2026,
title = {Orange-billed babbler (Argya rufescens)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/orange-billed-babbler},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}