Nature quest: Babbling away!

A chestnut-capped babbler, known as 'Lal tupi chhatare' in Bangla, spotted in Chattogram's Hathazari upazila. This medium-sized passerine bird is native to many south and southeast Asian countries, including Bangladesh and India, where it prefers swampy areas and scrub-jungles as its habitat. What makes babblers special is their cheerful, energetic and social behaviour and their commitment to their flock.

Photo: Noble Chakma

When it's non-breeding season, they form cohesive social groups of around three to 23 individuals and do everything – foraging, roosting, maintaining the territory – together. At night, they gather at their communal roosting nest, which they build together in dead or partly-living trees.

Photo: Noble Chakma

Startled or alarmed, they stick together. They are playful creatures and have also been known to form trenches on the ground from chasing each other! Though the chestnut-crowned babbler is listed as "least concern" by the IUCN, its populations are still threatened due to habitat loss, resulting from deforestation and rampant tree-felling.