• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Distribution map
• Reference and further resources

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A., Fishpool, L.D.C., Boesman, P. and Kirwan, G.M. 2016. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	-	C2a(ii)

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2020	Vulnerable	C2a(ii)
2016	Near Threatened	C2a(ii)
2012	Near Threatened	C2a(ii)
2008	Near Threatened	C2a(ii)
2004	Not Recognised
2000	Not Recognised
1994	Not Recognised
1988	Not Recognised

Migratory status	not a migrant	Forest dependency	high
Land-mass type		Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	11,200 km2	medium
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	2500-9999 mature individuals	poor	inferred	2020
Population trend	decreasing	poor	inferred	2014-2024
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	5-15%	-	-	-
Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	5-15%	-	-	-
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	5-15%	-	-	-
Generation length	2.5 years	-	-	-
Number of subpopulations	1	-	-	-
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation	100%	-	-	-

Population justification: The species is rare and difficult to observe (N. Zhotso in litt. 2020, A. Choudhury in litt. 2020). The population is thus thought to number as low as 2,500-4,000 adult individuals (A. Meyase in litt. 2020). However, as it is known to occur outside primary forests, the population is thought to number fewer than 10,000 mature individuals in any case. The species is therefore tentatively placed in the band 2,500-9,999 mature individuals. Even though forest logging and the spread of agriculture may potentially start affecting the species's population structure (J. Praveen in litt. 2019), it is currently assumed that all individuals belong to the same subpopulation. However, increased rarity of the species due to ongoing threats, and assuming the population is closer to the lower estimate, the species may warrant further uplisting in the future.

Trend justification: The population trend for this species has not been directly estimated. It is however considered to be undergoing a continued decline owing to habitat loss. Deforestation data from between 2000 and 2012 (Tracewski et al. 2016) previously estimated that the area of forested habitat within the species’s range was on average declining by c. 3% over three generations (10 years; Bird et al. 2020). More recent estimates measured between 2000 and 2019 however show that tree loss is higher, at c. 9.3% over three generations (Global Forest Watch 2020). Even though Naga Wren-babbler may tolerate some forest fragmentation, which may indicate that rates of decline could be lower than that of forest loss, it is assumed that pressures from hunting and trapping may exacerbate this. Therefore, the population is thought to be declining at a rate of 5-15% over three generations.

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
India	extant	native	yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Forest	Subtropical/Tropical Moist Montane	major	resident
Shrubland	Subtropical/Tropical High Altitude	suitable	resident
Altitude	1200 - 3100 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Small-holder farming	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem conversion
Biological resource use	Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Species disturbance, Species mortality
Biological resource use	Logging & wood harvesting - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest]	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Human intrusions & disturbance	Recreational activities	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Species disturbance

Purpose	Scale
Pets/display animals, horticulture	subsistence

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Naga Wren-babbler Spelaeornis chocolatinus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/naga-wren-babbler-spelaeornis-chocolatinus on 22/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/12/2024.