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

Taxonomic note
Previously placed in genus Rimator (del Hoyo and Collar 2016) but moved to current genus following Cai et al. (2019). Formerly treated as conspecific with N. malacoptila and N. albostriata following Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993). Monotypic.

Taxonomic source(s)
Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International. 2021. Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 6. Available at: https://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v6_Dec21.zip.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)	B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)+2ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v); D1+2

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2024	Endangered	B1ab(i,ii,iii,iv,v)
2016	Endangered	B1ab(ii,iii,v)
2012	Endangered	B1ab(ii,iii,v)
2011	Endangered	B1a+b(ii,iii)
2009	Least Concern
2008	Least Concern
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
Area of Occupancy (breeding/resident)	748 km2
Number of locations	3-20	-
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	500-5000 mature individuals	poor	suspected	2024
Population trend	decreasing	poor	inferred	-
Generation length	2.74 years	-	-	-

Population justification: Population size very poorly known and in urgent need of elucidation, but crudely suspected to fall in the band of 500-5,000 mature individuals given the scarcity of records, and the presumed small area of suitable habitat even within its mapped range.

Trend justification: There are no data on population trends for this species but it is evidently declining, potentially rapidly, in response to habitat loss and degradation driven largely by the cultivation of cardamom. North-west Viet Nam has undergone rapid changes over the past two decades and this species' close relationship with certain bamboo species (Arundinaria dwarf bamboo especially: see Eames and Mahood 2011) has rendered it especially susceptible to habitat degradation and the removal of forest understorey. Much of this habitat loss is not adequately captured by remote sensing data, hence while Global Forest Watch (2023) data show only minimal losses from its elevational range (c. 1,200-2,200 m), forest throughout is heavily degraded (Grantham et al. 2020) and reportedly nothing below c. 1,800 m is now suitable (J. Eaton in litt. 2023). Notably, some sites where the species was found in 2020 were vacant (with no suitable habitat) in 2023 (J. Eaton in litt. 2023). This destruction has occurred even in protected areas, with Eames and Mahood (2011) noting more than a decade ago that it was 'almost impossible to find undisturbed evergreen forest undergrowth in Hoang Lien Son and Van Ban Nature Reserves'. Determining potential rates of decline are hampered further by this species' very low occupancy within its already limited range. Consequently the percentage of habitat altered/removed (itself almost indeterminable) is not necessarily parallel to population reduction. Accordingly no rate of population decline is estimated here, but this should be among the highest research priorities for this species.

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
China (mainland)	possibly extant	native	yes
Vietnam	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	1220 - 2500 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Agro-industry farming	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Medium Impact: 6
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Agriculture & aquaculture	Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Small-holder farming	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		Rapid Declines		Medium Impact: 7
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Ecosystem conversion
Transportation & service corridors	Roads & railroads	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: White-throated Wren-babbler Napothera pasquieri. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/white-throated-wren-babbler-napothera-pasquieri 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.