About Turdoides sharpei (Reichenow, 1891)
Turdoides sharpei, commonly known as the black-lored babbler or Sharpe's pied-babbler, is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. Its distribution includes southwestern Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, and the adjacent portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that borders Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda. This species was formerly classified as the same species as Turdoides melanops, the black-faced babbler found in southern Africa. These birds are mostly grey-brown with white mottling, most prominent on the underparts. The amount and pattern of this mottling varies between locations and individual birds. The population of this species found near Nanyuki, Kenya, is darker in overall color, and may have a pure white chin or an entirely pure white throat. In adult birds of this species, the combination of pale yellow or white eyes and black lores (the areas between the eye and the bill) distinguishes them from most similar babbler species; this trait does not separate them from T. melanops. All juvenile babblers, including juveniles of this species, have brown eyes. In Kenyan populations, single individual birds produce repeated harsh single or double notes, such as waaach or a muffled kurr-ack. When birds are in pairs or groups, they produce longer phrases in chorus. Their vocal tempo is frequently slower than that of most other babblers. They are most vocal during the early morning and late afternoon. Like other members of the genus Turdoides, this species occurs low to the ground or directly on the ground, in or near dense woody vegetation. This habitat includes cultivated areas. In Kenya, individuals forage for food in bushes and tall grass. They are described as restless, noisy, suspicious, and typical gregarious babblers.
