Chin Hills Wren-Babbler

Spelaeornis oatesi

Tiny brown bird with a proportionally long tail and a white breast. The white breast is flecked with dark spots, while the brown upperparts appear scaled. Lacks the rusty tones found in other similar wren-babblers in the region. Occupies the understory of evergreen forests and adjacent scrub, where it skulks and is difficult to see. The song is a short, rapid warble of 5-8 strong notes.

Identification

The Chin Hills wren-babbler (Spelaeornis oatesi) is a bird species in the family Timaliidae. It was until recently considered a subspecies of the long-tailed wren-babbler; the IUCN for example started recognizing it as distinct species in 2008. It is found in India and Myanmar. Its natural habitat are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is therefore classified as a Species of Least Concern by the IUCN.

Taxonomy

Genus: Spelaeornis; Family: Timaliidae; Order: Passeriformes.

Scientific name
Spelaeornis oatesi
Authority
(Rippon, 1904)
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Timaliidae
Genus
Spelaeornis

Range and habitat

Migration
Resident species

Behavior

Migration pattern: Resident species.

Conservation

Population trend: stable.

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

Other Birds

Spangled Coquette

Spangled Coquette

Lophornis stictolophus

Tiny, short-tailed hummingbird with disjunct range from Venezuela to southeast Ecuador. Spectacular male is mostly green with a bushy orange crest with black spots, a dark throat, a red bill, and a white band across rump. Female is duller overall with a rusty forehead and a whitish throat. Unlikely to be confused within its range, but compare with Rufous-crested Coquette (male lacks black spotting in crest and female has a brighter rusty throat). Generally rare in lowlands and foothills up to around 1,200 m. Most likely to be seen at purple Verbena flowers or in the canopy of a flowering Inga tree.

Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo

Hodgson's Hawk-Cuckoo

Hierococcyx nisicolor

Large hawk-like cuckoo of dense forests, where it usually forages deep in the canopy. Adult gray above and pale below, with gray and orange blotches and loose streaks on breast. Juvenile similar but streaked with brown below, similar to juvenile Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo, but the latter has a prominent white patch on the nape and evenly distributed tail bands, lacking in Hodgson’s. Far more often heard than seen; song is very unlike that of other hawk-cuckoos: two sharp notes, usually (not always) followed by a series of clattering trills.

Red-collared Myzomela

Red-collared Myzomela

Myzomela rosenbergii

A small honeyeater of montane forest. Male unmistakeable with a black hood, belly, wings and tail, and a bright red breast, back, rump and collar. Female mainly brown (olive green in some areas), with a black throat, and reduced red on the chest and rump. The only myzomela at high elevations, but co-occurs with other species at middle elevations. Males are distinctive, this is the only female myzomela with a red chest and rump. An energetic and variable song, including up-and-down “tweepy-tweepy-tweepy” phrases with slightly electronic-sounding notes.

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