White Browed Babblers and water

White-browed Babbler

I’ve written a number of times about the birds that come to visit the bird baths in our garden (see the links below).

We are constantly delighted to see the stream of honeyeaters, pardalotes, parrots and many other species that come to drink. Some linger awhile to bathe. Some are tentative in their approach, others come in boldly, chasing away any who may linger too long.

White-browed Babblers

White-browed Babblers are frequent visitors to our garden. They come in their family group, scuttling through the low bushes, scurrying up the branches of the mallee trees searching for insects and spiders and filling the air with their cat like calls.

From time to time their foraging antics bring them close to the bird bath. Sometimes they get as close as a metre away. I have never seen them land on the bird bath, let alone take a drink or bathe.

I recently read a series of posts on the Birding-Aus forum that many species of birds do not need to drink, or drink very infrequently. They manage to gather enough moisture from the insects, beetles and spiders they eat.

Related Articles:

• Birds in the heat – birds that visit during hot weather
• Birds and communal bathing – water wasters at work
• Time for a bath – a long list of birds and animals which come to our bird baths

Updated November 2013, and September 2015