Afghan babbler

{{Short description|Species of bird}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Afghan Babbler.jpg

|image_caption = In Kuwait

| taxon = Argya huttoni

| authority = (Blyth, 1847)

| synonyms = * Turdoides huttoni

}}

The Afghan babbler (Argya huttoni) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae.

It is found from southeastern Iraq to south western Pakistan. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the common babbler.

When compared to the common babbler, the Afghan babbler has a heavier bill and dark streaks on the breast and sides. The vocalizations are also different.{{cite journal|author =Rasmussen, P.C.|title=Biogeographic and conservation implications of revised species limits and distributions of South Asian birds.| journal= Zool. Med. Leiden |volume=79| issue=13|pages=137–146|url= http://www.repository.naturalis.nl/document/42176}}{{cite journal|title=A partial revision of the Asian babblers (Timaliidae) |author=Collar, NJ |journal=Forktail |volume=22 |year=2006 |pages=85–112 |url=http://www.www.orientalbirdclub.org/publications/forktail/22pdfs/Collar-Babbler.pdf |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215213207/http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/publications/forktail/22pdfs/Collar-Babbler.pdf |archivedate=2012-02-15 }} The variation is sometimes considered to be clinal but two subspecies have been recognized.{{cite book|pages=332–333|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14486521|title=Check-list of Birds of the World. Volume 10|year=1964|editor=Mayr, E |editor2=Paynter RA Jr.|author1=Deignan, H |author2=RA Paynter Jr. |author3=S D Ripley |publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology}}{{cite journal|author1=Abdulali, Humayun |author2=D'Cunha, Eric |year=1982|title=On the validity of Turdoides caudatus eclipes (Hume).|journal= J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc.|volume=79|issue=1|pages=199–200}}{{cite journal|author =Vaurie, C |year=1953| title=Systematic notes on Palearctic birds no. 3. Turdoides caudatus and Turdoides altirostris.|journal= Am. Mus. Novit.|volume=1642|pages=1–8|hdl=2246/4963}}

The Afghan babbler group includes salvadorii (De Filippi, 1865) found in Iraq and western Iran and huttoni (Blyth, 1847) from eastern Iran through Afghanistan east to southwestern Pakistan.

The Afghan babbler was formerly placed in the genus Turdoides but following the publication of a comprehensive molecular phylogenetic study in 2018, it was moved to the resurrected genus Argya.{{ cite journal | last1=Cibois | first1=A. | last2=Gelang | first2=M. | last3=Alström | first3=P. | last4=Pasquet | first4=E. | last5=Fjeldså | first5=J. | last6=Ericson | first6=P.G.P. | last7=Olsson | first7=U. | year=2018 | title=Comprehensive phylogeny of the laughingthrushes and allies (Aves, Leiothrichidae) and a proposal for a revised taxonomy | journal=Zoologica Scripta | volume=47 | issue=4 | pages=428–440 | doi=10.1111/zsc.12296 }}{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | year=2019 | title=Laughingthrushes and allies | work=World Bird List Version 9.1 | url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/laughingthrushes/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | accessdate=20 January 2019 }}