The scaly-breasted cupwing or scaly-breasted wren-babbler is a species of bird in the Pnoepyga wren-babblers family, Pnoepygidae. It is found in southern and eastern Asia from the Himalayas to Indochina.
Region
Himalayas to southern China and Indochina
Typical Environment
Occurs from the Himalayan foothills of Nepal and India east through Bhutan, northern Myanmar, and southern China to northern Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam. Prefers dense, moist montane forests with thick undergrowth, bamboo thickets, and mossy ravines. Common along shaded stream banks and forested slopes where it forages close to the ground. Often occupies forest edges and secondary growth if sufficient cover is present.
Altitude Range
600–3000 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A tiny, tailless-looking skulker of dense montane undergrowth, the scaly-breasted cupwing is often heard long before it is seen. Its loud, ventriloquial song carries far through mossy forests and stream gullies. The fine pale scalloping on its underparts gives the species its name and helps it blend into the leaf litter. It was formerly known as a wren-babbler and is now placed in its own family, Pnoepygidae.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats close to the ground
Social Behavior
Typically solitary or in pairs, keeping to dense cover. Nests are usually domed structures placed low in vegetation or on banks, often of moss and leaves. Likely monogamous, with both adults attending the nest. Rarely joins mixed-species flocks, preferring thick understory.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A loud, clear series of high-pitched whistles that often accelerates, sounding ventriloquial and hard to locate. Calls include sharp, thin notes and brief trills given from concealed perches.
Plumage
Dense, fine scaling on the breast and flanks over buffy to whitish ground color; upperparts warm brown to olive-brown and slightly mottled. Tail extremely short, giving a near-tailless impression; wings rounded. Plumage texture soft and cryptic, suited for undergrowth camouflage.
Diet
Feeds primarily on small arthropods such as beetles, ants, spiders, and insect larvae. Gleans prey from leaf litter, mossy logs, and low vegetation. Probes into crevices and among roots and stones along shaded forest floors. May supplement with small snails or other invertebrates when available.
Preferred Environment
Forages in dense understory, bamboo tangles, and along damp, shaded stream margins. Most activity occurs within a meter of the ground, often under thick cover.
