Giant babax facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Giant babax |
|
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Ianthocincla waddelli |
The giant babax (Pterorhinus waddelli) is a special type of bird. It belongs to the laughingthrush family. You can find this bird in India and Tibet.
It likes to live in low bushes at the edge of the southern Tibetan plateau. But it can also live in dry and cold mountain areas. You might often see it near villages and monasteries. Here, it looks for food scraps.
What it Looks Like
The giant babax is a big, brown bird with a long tail. It has a curved beak and dark stripes on its body. It is usually about 31 to 34 centimeters long.
Its calls can sound like a flute, which are very pretty. But sometimes, its calls are harsh and chattery.
What it Eats
The giant babax eats different things depending on the season.
In the summer, it enjoys eating insects. This includes things like butterflies and flies. It also eats tasty berries.
In the winter, its diet changes. It eats seeds from crops, more berries, and plant rhizomes. Rhizomes are like underground stems of plants.
Reproduction
The breeding season for the giant babax is from May to July. This is when they build their nests and raise their young.
They mainly build nests in certain trees and bushes. These include willows (like Salix longistamina), Rosa sericea, Populus szechuanica Schneid, Cotoneaster microphyllus, and elm trees.
They prefer to nest in places with lots of trees. These spots are often close to water. They also like to be far away from human homes.
Why it is in Danger
Sadly, the giant babax is facing a threat. It is threatened by habitat loss. This means the natural places where it lives and finds food are disappearing.
How it Got its Name
The giant babax was first described in 1905. An English bird expert named Henry Dresser gave it its scientific name.
He studied a bird that was found by a British explorer. This explorer was named Laurence Waddell. He found the bird in the Yarlung Tsangpo river valley in Tibet.
Later, in 2018, scientists did a big study on the laughingthrush family. They used molecular phylogenetic methods, which look at the bird's DNA. Because of this study, the giant babax was placed into a group called Pterorhinus.
