7 Nov 2021

Golden Babbler – song and call

by | posted in: birds, Vocalisation | 0

Golden Babbler

The song of the Golden Babbler (Stachyridopsis chrysaea chrysops) is a delightful, haunting pipping run of notes. The song starts with an introductory note followed by a run of similar notes. Sources vary on the number of notes made: Wells 2007 says 4-8 (more usually 8), Craig Robson 2002 says 5-10 notes (also quoted in Handbook of the Birds of the World 2019 by same source).

Sonogram and waveform of the Golden Babbler

I had only a short recording and there were 7-8 notes (including the introductory note). The duration of the song in 1.2-1.4 seconds but I am sure this depends on the number of notes made. The spacing between notes is 4-5 seconds. Occasionally the introductory note is made singly as in the start on my recording. In my recording the song is interspersed with calls by the Golden Babbler, occasionally overlapping with the song, suggesting two birds present. The call is a softer chittering series of 6-8 notes made rapidly in a crescendo-decrescendo mode. Robson (in HBW 2019) says “when alarmed, utters scolding “chrrrrr-rr-rr”, “chrirrrrr” or “chrrrrrr””. I suspect these are the same calls but not sure they are used as alarm calls.

Songs and calls both heard in this edited recording (some noise reduction and amplification). I suspect there are some Flowerpecker calls in the recording: https://www.xeno-canto.org/460090

 

Amar-Singh HSS (Dato’ Dr)

Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia

 

Location: Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia

Habitat: Primary montane forest

Date: 4th March 2019

Equipment: Nikon D500 SLR with Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD, handheld with Rode VideoMic Pro Plus Shotgun Microphone

 

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Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

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