Pnoepygidae – Wren-babblers
Pnoepygidae is the family to which Pnoepyga, a genus of passerines endemic to southern and south eastern Asia, belong. Its members are known as wren-babblers or cupwings.
The genus contains just five species formerly placed in the babbler family Timaliidae. A 2009 study of the DNA of the Timaliidae and the Old World warblers Sylviidae found no support for the placement of the genus in either family, prompting the authors to erect a new monogeneric family, the Pnoepygidae.
They are diminutive passerines with a mostly montCupwing is found in the mountainous areas of north India eastwards to southern China and northern Vietnam. The Taiwan Wren-babbler or Taiwan Cupwing is endemic to Taiwan, and similarly the Nepal Wren-babbler or Nepal Cupwing has a restricted distribution, mostly occurring in Nepal (also slightly into India). The most widespread species is the Pygmy Wren-babbler or Pygmy Cupwing, which occurs from China and India south through Southeast Asia into the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia as far as Flores and Timor.
The five species are:
Scaly-breasted Wren-babbler Pnoepyga albiventer
Chinese Wren-babbler Pnoepyga mutica
Taiwan Wren-babbler Pnoepyga formosana
Nepal Wren-babbler Pnoepyga immaculata
Pygmy Wren-babbler Pnoepyga pusilla
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Chinese Wren-babbler Pnoepyga mutica
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Chinese Wren-babbler Pnoepyga mutica
Species AccountThe Chinese wren-babbler or Chinese cupwing (Pnoepyga mutica) is a species of bird in the family Pnoepygidae. It is found in China. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. -
Nepal Wren-babbler Pnoepyga immaculata
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Nepal Wren-babbler Pnoepyga immaculata
Species AccountThe Nepal wren-babbler or immaculate cupwing (Pnoepyga immaculata) is a species of bird in the family Pnoepygidae. -
Pygmy Wren-babbler Pnoepyga pusilla
IUCN Species Status -
Pygmy Wren-babbler Pnoepyga pusilla
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Pygmy Wren-babbler Pnoepyga pusilla
Species AccountThe pygmy wren-babbler or pygmy cupwing (Pnoepyga pusilla) is a species of bird in the family Pnoepygidae. It is found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. -
Scaly-breasted Wren-babbler Pnoepyga albiventer
IUCN Species Status -
Scaly-breasted Wren-babbler Pnoepyga albiventer
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Scaly-breasted Wren-babbler Pnoepyga albiventer
Species AccountThe scaly-breasted wren-babbler or scaly-breasted cupwing (Pnoepyga albiventer) is a species of passerine bird in the family Pnoepygidae. -
Taiwan Wren-babbler Pnoepyga formosana
IUCN Species StatusAlthough this species may have a restricted range, it is not believed to approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion. -
Taiwan Wren-babbler Pnoepyga formosana
Species AccountSound archive and distribution map. -
Taiwan Wren-babbler Pnoepyga formosana
Species AccountThe Taiwan wren-babbler or Taiwan cupwing (Pnoepyga formosana) is a species of passerine bird in the family Pnoepygidae. The species is endemic to the island of Taiwan. It was treated for a long time as a subspecies of the scaly-breasted wren-babbler.