Nepal Cupwing - BirdForum Opus

Alternative names: Immaculate Wren Babbler; Spotless Wren Babbler; Immaculate Cupwing, Nepal Wren-Babbler

Photo by Vipul Ramanuj
Chopta, Uttarakhand, India, May 2015

Pnoepyga immaculata

Identification

With 8.5-10cm (3¼-4 in) a small Wren Babbler from India and Nepal with a pale and a dark morph.
Pale morph:

• Brownish-olive with vague scaling above
• Whitish below, becoming darker on flanks and lower underparts
• Prominent dark scaling below
• Like other Wren Babbler almost tailless
  

Dark morph:

• Darker above
• Deep fulvous below

Similar Species

Very similar to Scaly-breasted Cupwing and Pygmy Cupwing, although slightly bigger than the last one.
Bill longer, wings and upperparts unspotted, more streaked underneath, dark malar line and narrow blue eyering are distinctive and distinguishes this species from the other two Cupwings.¹

Distribution

	Endemic to the Indian Subcontinent. Found in the Himalayas from E Nepal west to Himachal Pradesh in India. Common in most of its range and not threatened.
	Legend • P. immaculata; year-round Maps/Texts consulted1,2

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[3]. Described as recently as 1991.^1,3

Habitat

Found near streams and rivers in undergrowth with rocks and boulders. In open parts or at edge of broadleaf evergreen forest, secondary growth or clearings. Usually between 1730 - 3100m, in winter down to 250m.¹

Behaviour

Pretty confiding, hopping around in low vegetation and between boulders.

Diet

Feeds probably on invertebrates.

Breeding

Breeding season from May to July. One nest found near a small waterfall. No other data available.

Movements

Resident species, but altitudinal movements occur.¹

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, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2022. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2022. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
4. Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2023. IOC World Bird List (v 13.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.13.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Nepal Cupwing. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Nepal_Cupwing

External Links

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