Turdoides rufescens
Silhouette: Jiekun He · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The orange-billed babbler (Argya rufescens), also known as Ceylon rufous babbler or Sri Lankan rufous babbler, is a member of the family Leiothrichidae. The orange-billed babbler is a resident breeding bird endemic to Sri Lanka. In the past, it was considered to be a race of jungle babbler, Argya striata.
Its habitat is rainforest, and it is rarely seen away from deep jungle. This species, like most babblers, is not migratory, and has short rounded wings and a weak flight. Although its habitat is under threat, it occurs in all the forests of the wet zone, and is quite common at prime sites like Kitulgala and Sinharaja. It builds its nest in a tree, concealed in dense masses of foliage. The normal clutch is two or three deep greenish blue eggs.
These birds are plain orange brown below, and have a slightly darker shade above. The crown and nape are grey, and the bill is orange. The orange-billed babbler lives in flocks of seven to ten or more. It is a noisy bird, and the presence of a flock may generally be known at some distance by the continual chattering, squeaking and chirping produced by its members. It is usually the first sign that a mixed-species feeding flock, so characteristic of Asian wet forests, is in the vicinity. It feeds mainly on insects, but also eats jungle berries. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Horton Plains National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
Very likely
About 70% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-billed Babbler sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 1,321 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 156 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-billed Babbler in Sinharaja Forest Reserve on a given day, against about 60% in January, June and August, the lowest months. That is one of Sinharaja Forest Reserve's wettest months, with about 470 mm of rain against 150 mm in March.
Between 2 and 5 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Orange-billed Babbler sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Yes
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Orange-billed Babbler sightings, Sinharaja Forest Reserve has the highest daily chance: about 70%. Next come Horton Plains National Park (Sri Lanka, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Orange-billed Babbler is recorded against all the birds logged in Sinharaja Forest Reserve (1,321 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
