The arrow-marked babbler (Turdoides jardineii ) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. It is native to woodlands in the southern Afrotropics.
The arrow-marked babbler is a medium-sized babbler, 22 to 25 cm (8.7–9.8 in) in length and weighing 56 to 85 g (2.0–3.0 oz). The common name for the species is derived from its plumage, which is brownish-grey above and lighter below, with white tips to the feathers on the throat, neck and head. The iris is bright red and the inner ring of the eye bright yellow or orange. The males and females are identical in appearance. Juveniles have brown eyes, and less arrow-shaped streaking on the breast.
It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Republic of the Congo, DRC, Eswatini, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest, dry savanna, and subtropical or tropical moist shrubland.
The arrow-marked babbler lives in social groups of between 3 and 15 birds (six being the average) that defend large territories, with the size of the territory being dependent upon the number of individuals in the group. They feed on insects, spiders and sometimes snails and lizards, as well as fruits. Foraging occurs near the ground, sometimes in association with other babblers or bulbuls.
This angry-looking bird lives, breeds and travels in groups of between 4 and 12 or so: very noisy, very active, aggressively flicking aside leaves etc. to find insects and sometimes small reptiles. It also eats seeds and small fruit. They are hard to miss and common in Harare suburbs, very frequent visitors in the early mornings and evenings.
They are monogamous, meaning that they mate in single pairs, but co-operative, meaning that the group works together to raise the chicks. As they move together as a group, they are constantly calling to each other, presumably to keep the group together. Their alarm call is very characteristic: starting with an individual bird, it swells and grows louder and louder to a deafening crescendo.
