Black-lored Babbler

Turdoides sharpei

Other Names

  Sharpe's Pied Babbler   Cratérope de Sharpe   Schwarzzügeldrossling         Garrulo bianconero di Sharpe

World: East Africa endemic, found in southern Uganda, western Kenya and western,south-western Tanzania

Kenya: Locally common in Western Kenya at heights of 1000 to 1900 metres

Although it tends to be associated with dense bush, acacia thickets and forest margins it is very easy to see at Lake Naivasha since it is an inquisitive bird which will come quite close to investigate you! There are some marked colour variation between different races of the bird, for instance around Nanyuki specimens are found with large amounts of white on the throat. The Naivasha race (pictured here) tend to show pale tipped feathers on their heads (this gives them a frosty effect). It is believed that this variation may be the result of hybridisation with Northern Pied Babblers at some point in the past