Long-billed Wren-Babbler Napothera malacoptila Scientific name definitions

11–12 cm; 18–21 g. Small, almost tailless streaky brown babbler with very long, slightly downcurving bill , blackish moustache. Crown, nape and head side are brown with tiny buff shaft streaks and very narrow black scaling, dorsal feathering long, brown, with long buff shaft streaks, fluffy rump plain and slightly chestnut, upperwing and tail plain brown with rufescent tinge; face (lores, superciliary area, cheek, ear-coverts, submoustachial area) more rufescent, slightly paler brown than crown and with fine buff streaks, moustachial streak and malar stripe dark brown (commonly forming long double line, but variable); chin and throat buff, shading to brown and buff streaking on elongate feathers of breast and flanks, buffier down middle underparts, browner at sides, with rusty-rufous thighs and vent; iris pale red-brown to brown; bill dark horn-brown, paler at tip; legs pale livid-fleshy, tinged brown or pale purplish-horn. Sexes similar. Juvenile apparently undescribed.

E Nepal (1 Cox, J.H. (2010). Confirmation of Long-billed Wren Babbler Rimator malacoptilus in Nepal. Forktail 26: 134–136. Close ), Sikkim E to NE India (to Arunachal Pradesh; also from Meghalaya E to Nagaland and N Manipur), N Myanmar and adjacent S China (NW Yunnan).

Song a short (0·4 second) clear whistle , “chiiuuh” or “fyeéér”, smoothly falling in pitch but gaining in volume, given every 2–10 seconds; also a similar “fééyew” which begins explosively and only slightly downslurred, quickly becoming much softer and steeply downslurred. When excited, may intersperse song with 1–3 quickly repeated “chip’wu” or “chitt’wu” phrases.

Not assessed. Generally rare or, at least, rarely recorded. Rare in Bhutan; scarce in India, where present in Buxa Tiger Reserve (West Bengal) and Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary and uncommon in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary (both in Arunachal Pradesh). Report from SE Tibet erroneous.