Found across southern Africa’s woodlands, Arrow-Marked Babblers are the neighborhood watch, the town criers, and the rowdy neighbors all rolled into one. These babblers announce their presence with a cacophony of cackles that famously earned them the Afrikaans nickname “Katlagter” (laughing cat), a sound compared to the rattling of a machine gun.

These feathered gossips travel in rowdy gangs of 5 to 15 members, maintaining a constant stream of chaotic babbling that sounds like a committee meeting gone completely off the rails. They don’t just chirp, They cackle, chatter, warble, and screech in an overlapping cacophony constantly calling, bickering, and reaffirming their social bonds.

Their name comes from the striking white, V-shaped “arrow” markings on their head and chest. These birds are surprisingly cooperative breeders. The whole gang helps raise each other’s chicks, with “helper” birds feeding babies that aren’t even theirs. They are also a primary target for the parasitic Levaillant’s Cuckoo, a cunning intruder that lays its eggs in the babblers’ nests undetected.

Arrow-Marked Babblers also love following larger animals, including humans, because disturbed insects mean easy meals. Their antics are endlessly entertaining, synchronized hopping, wing-flicking arguments, and noisy group flights from bush to bush. They love investigating anything new, making them some of the boldest, most curious birds in the savanna.

Birdman of Africa [https://gamersdad.substack.com](https://gamersdad.substack.com/) Subscribe for free to receive a new African Bird email each Friday. Photo by Andrew Steinmann ©2025

[](https://www.reddit.com/submit/?source_id=t3_1pqvhsc)

African Arrow-Marked Babbler - This gang can't keep a secret