| Spiny babbler | |
|---|---|
| |
| Spiny babbler in Shivapuri Nagarjun NP | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Leiothrichidae |
| Genus: | Turdoides |
| Species: | T. nipalensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Turdoides nipalensis (Hodgson, 1836)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Timalia nipalensis | |
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.[2]
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.[3]
- ^ BirdLife International (2018). "Acanthoptila nipalensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ Dreams, Himalayan. "The Spiny Babbler-Wings of Nature". Retrieved 2017-08-15.
- ^ The Status of Nepal's Birds: The National Red List Series Volume 6. The Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK. 2016. pp. 414, 415, 416. ISBN 978-0-900881-75-6.