• 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
-	-	-

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2024	Least Concern
2016	Near Threatened	C1
2012	Near Threatened	C1
2008	Near Threatened	B1a+b(iii); C1
2004	Near Threatened
2000	Lower Risk/Near Threatened
1996	Vulnerable
1994	Vulnerable
1988	Threatened

Migratory status	not a migrant	Forest dependency	high
Land-mass type	continent	Average mass	11 g

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	102,000 km2	medium
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	unknown	-	-	-
Population trend	decreasing	poor	suspected	2016-2026
Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	0-5%	-	-	-
Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	0-5%	-	-	-
Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods)	0-5%	-	-	-
Generation length	2.37 years	-	-	-

Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified; however, it has been described as a very rare and very local resident in Nepal (Inskipp et al. 2016), frequently recorded in Bhutan (Collar and Robson 2020), and locally common in India (Collar and Robson 2020), very commonly found in Pange and Talley valley (Singh 1994). eBird records suggest the species is locally common in Sikkim, areas of Bhutan and in western Arunachal Pradesh (eBird 2024). It is also suggested that the species is more widespread and abundant than current records imply.

Trend justification:

Remote sensing data indicate that ongoing rates of forest loss are minimal: over the past ten years (2013-2023) Sikkim has undergone a decline of 0.41% in tree cover, Bhutan has experienced a decline of 0.55%, Arunachal Pradesh a 2.3% decrease and Nepal a 0.37% decrease (Global Forest Watch 2024, based on data from Hansen et al. (2013) and methods therein). Deforestation pressures, primarily occurring at lower elevations for development and agriculture, are less likely to significantly impact the species, which generally inhabits higher elevations.

Despite protective measures, there are some threats to habitat, such as illegal logging, which has been described as a major driver of deforestation in Arunachal Pradesh (Sheth et al. 2020). Additionally, rural communities in Sikkim heavily rely on forests for the collection of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP), fuelwood extraction, and other purposes (Kanade and John 2018). However, these threats are not currently considered significant enough to pose a major risk to the species. Areas within the 300-2,500 m range, known as the agro-ecological zone, experienced significant conversion for agriculture, including the cultivation of Large Cardamon (Amomum subulatum) which notably expanded in the 1980s and 1990s. However, since 2000, the conversion rate has decreased, leading to abandoned plantations at different stages of successional forest (Kanade and John 2018). This indicates a possibility for localised recovery of areas that were converted for agriculture within the species range.

Precautionarily the species is suspected to be declining at a slow rate, placed here in the band 0-5% in ten years: the lower estimate considers the species' relatively high elevational range and low rates of forest cover loss, while the upper limit opts for a more cautious approach.

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

Country/Territory	IBA Name
India	Bison Swamp (Nilgiri)
India	Dichu Reserve Forest
India	Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary
India	Koloriang - Sarli - Damin area
India	Lowland forests of South Sikkim (Melli-Baguwa-Kitam, Jorethang-Namchi, Sombarey)
India	Maenam Wildlife Sanctuary - Tendong Reserve Forest
India	Mandla Phudung
India	Mouling National Park
India	Nameri National Park
India	Shergaon - Tenzinggang - Kalaktang
India	Taley Valley Wildlife Sanctuary
India	Thungri - Chaglang - Poshingla Maji, Basti and Liak area
India	Zemithang - Nelya
Nepal	Mai Valley forests
Nepal	Makalu Barun National Park
Nepal	Tamur valley and watershed

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Forest	Temperate	major	resident
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)		suitable	resident
Altitude	1400 - 2440 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Shifting agriculture	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Agriculture & aquaculture	Livestock farming & ranching - Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Biological resource use	Gathering terrestrial plants - Unintentional effects (species is not the target)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Biological resource use	Logging & wood harvesting - Unintentional effects: (large scale) [harvest]	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
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

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Rufous-throated Wren-babbler Spelaeornis caudatus. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/rufous-throated-wren-babbler-spelaeornis-caudatus 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.