Spotted Elachura

Alternative names: Spotted Short-tailed Wren-Babbler; Spotted Wren; Spotted Elachura

Spelaeornis formosus

Elachura formosa

Identification

10cm. A tiny short-tailed Wren-Babbler:

• Dark brown
• Entirely peppered with white specks
• Heavy black bars on rufescent wings and tail

Sexes similar, juveniles blackish-brown overall with more prominent white spots.

Distribution

Found from easter Nepal east over Bhutan to northeast India, northeast Bangladesh, north and west Burma, southeast China (Yunnan to Hunan, Fujian and Guangdong), north and central Laos and north Vietnam.
Only one record from Nepal (1984) and no recent records in Bangladesh. Infrequently encountered in most of its range.

Taxonomy

Monotypic.
A recently discovered population in Laos without white spotting on throat and breast may represent a separate subspecies.
This species is sometimes placed in the monotypic genus Elachura and may be closer related to Pnoepyga than to Spelaeornis.

Habitat

Undergrowth and dense thickets in temperate and subtropical broadleaf evergreen forest. Often in thick fern cover or open steep-sided gulleys with tangles of twigs and weeds. At 300 - 2400m in the Indian Subcontinent, 1100 - 2150m in China and 480 - 1975m in southeast Asia.

Behaviour

Feeds on insects.
Breeding season in April and May. One reported nest was a semi-domed cup of leaves, dead grass, roots and other material. It was placed on the ground and contained 3 - 4 eggs.
Resident species. Some altitudinal movement in Bhutan reported.

References

1. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
2. Rasmussen, PC and JC Anderton. 2005. Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334672
3. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Spotted Elachura. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Spotted_Elachura

External Links

Search for photos of Spotted Elachura in the gallery

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