Spiny Babbler
Turdoides nipalensis
Plain brown babbler with pale eyes and well-streaked underparts. Note the chalky-white face patch in most individuals, though this is more limited or near-absent in a few. Forages on or near the ground in hilly areas with dense scrub cover. Musical thrush-like song often incorporates imitations of other species.
Identification
The spiny babbler (Turdoides nipalensis) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. Found only in the Middle Hills of Nepal, it can for example be seen around the Kathmandu valley, specifically around the Godavari and Phulchoki area close to the city of Lalitpur. Also known locally as the Kande Bhyakur, literally translated "thorny bird". It was first scientifically described by Brian Houghton Hodgson in the mid-19th century, then never seen again and even feared extinct until famously rediscovered by Sidney Dillon Ripley, an American ornithologist, in the late 1940s. It is predominantly a shy bird but can be seen in the early breeding season when the males sing out in the open. It lives in dense scrubs and mounts branches of bushes and small trees to sing. It is threatened by the clearance of scrub for agriculture and expansion of urban areas.
Taxonomy
Genus: Turdoides; Family: Leiothrichidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Turdoides nipalensis
- Authority
- (Hodgson, 1836)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Leiothrichidae
- Genus
- Turdoides
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
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Ijima's Leaf Warbler
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Biak White-eye
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A small bird of forest on Biak Island where it is the only white-eye. Olive-green head and back, yellow under the base of the tail, dark gray face, pale gray underparts with whitish throat and belly. Note the lack of an eye-ring. Sometimes associates with other small birds. Similar size to Island Leaf-Warbler and Biak Gerygone, but Biak White-eye has grayish rather than yellow underparts. Voice, an up-and-down, high-pitch, warbling song and a rather sharp, descending “meuu” call.
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