On this World Migratory Bird Day-won't it be appropriate to write something about migratory birds . Here we go :

The United Arab Emirates supports a rich diversity of bird life. Around 100 species regularly breed in the UAE, and it is also home to many internationally important wintering bird populations. Lying on an important migration route between Asia and Africa, the UAE also hosts large numbers of visiting migrants, bringing the total number of bird species to an impressive 435. One such bird which is one of the jewels of UAE is The Arabian babbler .

Arabian babbler

A superbly camouflaged dark brown bird, from a distance the Arabian babbler (Turdoides squamiceps) appears rather plain, but upon closer inspection the fluffy plumage is in fact quite attractive. The feathers covering the head have dark centres with white edges, giving an appealing mottled effect. The dark centres of the feathers on the underparts become lighter and the white turns a tan colour. The Arabian babbler has short, curved wings, an elongated tail that balances the bird as it weaves through dense or thorny vegetation, and a long, thin, slightly downward-pointing bill.

It is 26󈞉 cm long with a wingspan of 31-33.5 cm and a weight of 64-83 grams. It has a fairly long curved bill, a long tail, rounded wings and strong legs and feet. The plumage is grey-brown above, paler below. There are dark streaks on the back and the throat is whitish. It has a variety of calls including whistles, trills and chattering.

Remaining close to cover, the Arabian babbler feeds mainly on insects, but during the winter when insects are scarce, it feeds largely on fruit, as well as small lizards and snakes .

The Arabian Babbler is found from Yemen, Oman and the United Arab Emirates in the southern Arabian Peninsula into Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and Egypt .

The Arabian babbler is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.

Image sources :www.arkive.org, www.ardea.org, thewebsiteofeverything.com