Jerdon's Babbler Chrysomma altirostre Scientific name definitions

Often heard before it is seen thanks to its distinctive, piercing call, the Jerdon's Babbler is one of only two species in the genus Chrysomma, the other being the more widespread Yellow-eyed Babbler (Chrysomma sinense). A specialist of tall, wet grasslands in riparian floodplains, the three subspecies of Jerdon's Babbler occur across a disjunct range in Pakistan, Nepal, India and Myanmar, and may formerly have also occurred in Bangladesh. The western form scindicum is endemic to the Indus floodplain of Pakistan and neighboring Punjab, India, and the eastern form griseigulare is known from the Brahmaputra floodplain of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, India, as well as at a few localities in Nepal. The nominate subspecies is known from the floodplain of the Ayeyarwady River, Myanmar, where it was unrecorded for over half a century and feared extinct, until it was rediscovered. Formerly common to fairly common across its range, all three subspecies have undergone a considerable decline owing to the massive loss of suitable grassland habitat, and now exist as severely fragmented populations over a large geographical area. Recent research has revealed that Jerdon's Babbler remains locally common in several areas where suitable tall grassland persists, but the loss of its habitat and presumed continuing declines have led to its classification as a threatened species. Urgent conservation action and targeted surveys are required to identify remaining populations of all three subspecies, particularly given the threat posed by hydroelectric projects and development schemes to the most important known populations. This account summarizes the current knowledge on the natural history of Jerdon's Babbler, together with notes on its population trends and conservation status.