The spotted elachura or spotted wren-babbler is a species of passerine bird found in the forests of the eastern Himalayas and Southeast Asia. In the past it was included in the babbler genus Spelaeornis as S. formosus, but molecular phylogenetic studies in 2014 provided evidence that it was distinct from the babblers and part of a basal lineage with no other close living relatives within the passerine bird clade Passerida. This led to the creation of a new family, Elachuridae, to accommodate just one species.
Region
Eastern Himalayas and northern Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs patchily from the eastern Himalayas (Nepal, Bhutan, and northeastern India) through northern Myanmar into southwest China (e.g., Yunnan) and north Indochina (northern Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam). It inhabits dense, damp understory of subtropical and montane evergreen broadleaf forests, often with bamboo and rhododendron. Frequently found along shaded ravines, mossy gullies, and stream edges where ground cover is thick. It avoids open areas and tends to remain close to the forest floor or low shrubs.
Altitude Range
300–2600 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The spotted elachura is the sole living member of the family Elachuridae, representing a very ancient lineage within Passerida. It is a tiny, secretive skulk of dense understory, far more often heard than seen. Its song is remarkably loud and insect-like, with complex trills that carry through mountain forests. Formerly treated as a wren-babbler, genetics revealed it is not closely related to babblers.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low and reluctant flier
Social Behavior
Usually solitary or in pairs, moving mouse-like through dense cover. Breeding pairs defend small territories in thick understory. Nests are well-concealed domed or ball-shaped structures placed low in vegetation near streams; both parents care for young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A loud, clear, and surprisingly powerful series of high-pitched whistles and rapid trills, often insect-like. Phrases are delivered in complex sequences, especially at dawn, and carry far through the forest.
Plumage
Finely barred and spotted plumage with dense mottling that provides excellent camouflage in leaf litter and understory. Upperparts are brown with darker barring; underparts paler with fine dark bars and speckles. Tail is very short and often cocked; feathers are soft and cryptic.
Diet
Feeds primarily on small insects and other arthropods, including beetles, ants, larvae, and spiders. Forages by gleaning from leaf litter, mossy logs, bamboo culms, and low twigs. Occasionally probes crevices and damp substrates along stream banks. Its cryptic behavior and steady, methodical movements aid in finding prey in shaded understory.
Preferred Environment
Usually forages within one meter of the ground in dense shrubbery, bamboo thickets, and tangled vines. Often keeps close to dark, humid microhabitats such as ravines and stream edges where invertebrates are abundant.
