Sounds and Vocal Behavior

The Spiny Babbler's song is complex, varied, rich, and full of mimicry, consisting of a series of alternating quickly-repeated notes. Some songs are like those of thrushes (Turdus sp.), while others are scratchy and rather slurred – unlike the songs of congeners (16 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2012). Birds of South Asia.The Ripley Guide. Vols 1 and 2. Second edition. National Museum of Natural History – Smithsonian Institution, Michigan State University and Lynx Edicions, Washington D. C., Michigan and Barcelona, USA and Spain. Close ). The song is distinctive, with a great variety of notes, but the tone, a peculiarly harsh yet ringing whistle, is always the same (3 Proud, D. (1959). Notes on the Spiny Babbler, Acanthoptila nipalensis (Hodgson), in the Nepal Valley. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 56:330-332. Close ).

Vocal Array

Song. The most frequently heard song starts with a few fine whistles and then continues up the scale, tee ter ter tee ter ter, etc. In the breeding season only, it has a very distinctive and peculiar call down the scale tee tee ker chee ker chee ker chee. This is sometimes preceded by a running trill. There are many other combinations of whistled notes (3 Proud, D. (1959). Notes on the Spiny Babbler, Acanthoptila nipalensis (Hodgson), in the Nepal Valley. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 56:330-332. Close ). Other renditions of the song are given as: a descending poo-kil poo-kil poo-kil augmented with a chupu chupu and then fresh introductory gurgles, the tee-ter refrain concluding with more gurgles and trills (33 Fleming, R. L. Sr (1959). An ornithologist revisits west Nepal (March 21‑25, 1959). Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 56:570‑580. Close ).

Calls. A clear el-el-el-el-ele is uttered while hopping about on the ground (8 Ali, S., and S. D. Ripley (1987). Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan, together with those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Volume 5. Larks to the Grey Hypocolius. 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, Delhi & London. Close ).

The female utters churring cries and a loud call: wick-er wick-er wick-er (3 Proud, D. (1959). Notes on the Spiny Babbler, Acanthoptila nipalensis (Hodgson), in the Nepal Valley. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 56:330-332. Close ).

A pair will sometimes burst out in a wild crescendo of screaming calls, sounding very like the Jungle Babbler (Argya striata) of the plains (3 Proud, D. (1959). Notes on the Spiny Babbler, Acanthoptila nipalensis (Hodgson), in the Nepal Valley. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 56:330-332. Close ).

The alarm is described as a chur-r-r (33 Fleming, R. L. Sr (1959). An ornithologist revisits west Nepal (March 21‑25, 1959). Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 56:570‑580. Close , 34 Fleming, R. L. Sr, and M. A. Traylor (1961). Notes on Nepal birds. Fieldiana: Zoology 35(9):447‑487. Close ).

Species it mimics include a bulbul, Streaked Laughingthrush (Trochalopteron lineatum), and Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus); notes from these particular species were all given in the first half of one bird’s song (33 Fleming, R. L. Sr (1959). An ornithologist revisits west Nepal (March 21‑25, 1959). Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 56:570‑580. Close ). Black-throated Thrush (Turdus atrogularis) has also been recorded as being mimicked (33 Fleming, R. L. Sr (1959). An ornithologist revisits west Nepal (March 21‑25, 1959). Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 56:570‑580. Close ).

Phenology

During March and April, a singing male is usually accompanied by a female low down in the scrub. She spends a good deal of time preening herself and uttering low churring cries, though she is usually very well concealed and difficult to see. If she leaves the bush where the male is singing, he will stop and follow her. At the end of April and May, only singing males were seen, with females likely incubating (3 Proud, D. (1959). Notes on the Spiny Babbler, Acanthoptila nipalensis (Hodgson), in the Nepal Valley. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 56:330-332. Close ).

In June, July, and August, the male continues to sing, but now from deep within a bush. It sings in short bursts, and if approached, becomes instantly silent, although it will remain in the same area and will resume singing after an observer has passed. The call that proceeds down the scale is not often heard from June–August. An individual is also often silent for long periods, but when one sings, it still stimulates others to reply, sometimes from a considerable distance (3 Proud, D. (1959). Notes on the Spiny Babbler, Acanthoptila nipalensis (Hodgson), in the Nepal Valley. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 56:330-332. Close ).

In September, birds are still in full song, especially during intervals in the monsoon showers. In October, it is occasionally heard; from November to February, it is silent (3 Proud, D. (1959). Notes on the Spiny Babbler, Acanthoptila nipalensis (Hodgson), in the Nepal Valley. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 56:330-332. Close ). Fleming described the species as largely silent in winter (21 Fleming, R. L., Sr., R. L. Fleming Jr., and L. S. Bangdel (1976). Birds of Nepal. Second edition. Avalok Publishers, Kathmandu, Nepal. Close ).

Daily Pattern of Vocalizing

Proud (3 Proud, D. (1959). Notes on the Spiny Babbler, Acanthoptila nipalensis (Hodgson), in the Nepal Valley. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 56:330-332. Close ) noted that it is particularly noisy after rain and in the middle of the day. When the dawn chorus is in full swing, dominated by birds like Orange-headed Thrush (Geokichla citrina) and Blue-capped Rock-Thrush (Monticola cinclorhyncha), Spiny Babbler sings less (3 Proud, D. (1959). Notes on the Spiny Babbler, Acanthoptila nipalensis (Hodgson), in the Nepal Valley. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 56:330-332. Close ). However, it has also been found that the species does sing early in the morning, especially when the sun hits the slope it inhabits (HSB, personal observation).

Places of Vocalizing

Early in the breeding season, males sing from a prominent bush, though not from the top, but on one side, usually in full view. Later in the breeding season, from June–August, males sing from deep within a bush (3 Proud, D. (1959). Notes on the Spiny Babbler, Acanthoptila nipalensis (Hodgson), in the Nepal Valley. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 56:330-332. Close ).

Repertoire and Delivery of Songs

Proud described the singing as follows: "As soon as one bird starts to call, it is answered in succession by multiple individuals, with each about 200 m apart. They can be heard answering each other for long distances; day after day I would find a pair in the same place, often in the same bush" (3 Proud, D. (1959). Notes on the Spiny Babbler, Acanthoptila nipalensis (Hodgson), in the Nepal Valley. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 56:330-332. Close ). Fleming described similar behavior: "In the late afternoon, a single bird will begin to sing, and others in the immediate vicinity will begin to respond. Each seems to have his own area, and the areas are several hundred meters apart" (34 Fleming, R. L. Sr, and M. A. Traylor (1961). Notes on Nepal birds. Fieldiana: Zoology 35(9):447‑487. Close ).

The male’s behavior while singing has been described as follows: "He would tilt his head back, hold his tail fairly still and warble for several seconds. He would bend forward, flicking his head and tail slowly from side to side, then straighten up and sing again" (35 Fleming, R. L. Sr (1959). Spiny Babblers in Kathmandu Valley. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 56:628‑630. Close ).