| Australo-Papuan babblers | ||||||||||||
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Grey-crowned Babbler. | ||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
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The Pomatostomidae or Australo-Papuan babblers are small to medium-sized birds endemic to Australia-New Guinea. All five species are ground-feeding omnivores and highly social. Babblers live in family groups and small flocks of up to about 20 individuals and forage communally, calling loudly to one another all day long.
For many years, the Australo-Papuan babblers were classified, rather uncertainly, with the Old World babblers (Timaliidae), on the grounds of similar appearance and habits. More recent research, however, indicates that they belong to the Corvidia ("crow-like passerines) rather than the Passerida ("sparrow-like passerines") and they are now classed as a separate family. Both groups, however, retain the common name of babbler.