Babax waddelli

The male and female feathers are similar in color. The forehead, top of the head and upper body are gray with thick dark brown vertical stripes, and some heads are slightly stained with tea-yellow. The outer edges of the broad black vertical stripes on the upper body are often decorated with brown or dark maroon, and the upper body and tail coverts have black vertical stripes. It gradually becomes thinner and less obvious until it disappears. Sometimes the waist and tail coverts are still stained with yellow. The upper wing coverts are similar in color to the back, but the gray feather edges are narrower and the dark brown vertical stripes are relatively wider, so they appear darker brown than the back. The flight feathers and tail feathers are dark brown, the outer feathers of the primary flight feathers are light gray, and the outer tail feathers are slightly lighter or have light-colored tips. The eyes, cheeks, and ear feathers are gray and sometimes slightly tinged with light brown

Native distribution: China, India.
In China, it is mainly distributed in Linzhi, Linzhou, Longzi, Zetang, Gyantse and Qamdo in southern Tibet.
It lives in the shrubs and bushes in the riverbeds and valleys of the Tibetan Plateau at an altitude of 3300-3800 meters. In northeastern Sikkim, it is even found at an altitude of 2800-4500 meters.

Giant Babax, also known as Giant Babax, has two subspecies.

Except during the breeding season, Giant Babax often moves in small groups of 5 to 6. It is mainly terrestrial, mostly active on the ground or in low bushes, and sometimes enters the vicinity of human residences. It is lively and good at hiding. It often flashes by. Most of the time, it hides under the bushes to move and forage. It is rarely exposed in open areas without any cover.

The Great Grass Babbler breeds from May to July, usually in the plateau bushland at an altitude of 3300 to 4200 meters. The nest is cup-shaped, with a large and rough structure. It is mainly made of dead grass stems, dead grass leaves, wool and roots, and is padded with fine grass stems and roots. The size of the nest is 17 to 18 cm in outer diameter, 10 cm in inner diameter, and 7 cm deep. The nest is mostly placed on shrubs, and each nest lays 3 eggs, with the size of the eggs being 33.1 mm × 21.6 mm.

The global population of Great Grassthrush is about 120,000 (del Hoyo et al. 2007). The population of Great Grassthrush in China used to be relatively abundant. It is quite common in most parts of southern Tibet, and small groups of 5 to 6 can often be seen, but since the 1990s, it has become quite rare and uncommon, and the reasons need further study.

Listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Near Threatened (NT), assessed in 2012.

Listed in the "National List of Terrestrial Wildlife with Important Economic and Scientific Research Value" issued by the State Forestry Administration on August 1, 2000. (Note: Item 470 Great Grass Babbler) 

Listed in the second level of China's "National Key Protected Wildlife List" (February 5, 2021).

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