NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Naga Wren-Babbler
Spelaeornis chocolatinus (Godwin-Austen & Walden, 1875)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Naga wren-babbler or long-tailed wren-babbler (Spelaeornis chocolatinus) is a bird species in the family Timaliidae.
In India it is found in Nagaland and Manipur.
Several former subspecies of this bird have now been recognized as good species. They are: pale-throated wren-babbler (S. kinneari), Chin Hills wren-babbler (S. oatesi) and grey-bellied wren-babbler (S. reptatus). Together, the group was collectively known as the long-tailed wren-babbler.
The natural habitats of the long-tailed wren-babbler are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Following the splitting of the newly recognized species, the populations remaining in S. chocolatinus are small enough to warrant uplisting to near threatened status, from the previous IUCN assessment of least concern.
Wikipedia contributors, Naga wren-babbler; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:35:30.215659+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Spelaeornis chocolatinus (Godwin-Austen & Walden, 1875)
- Name authority
- (Godwin-Austen & Walden, 1875)
- Common name
- Naga Wren-Babbler
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Timaliidae
- Genus
- Spelaeornis
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyTimaliidae Vigors & Horsfield, 1827
- genusSpelaeornis A. David & Oustalet, 1877
- speciesSpelaeornis chocolatinus (Godwin-Austen & Walden, 1875)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Spelaeornis. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Mishmi Wren-BabblerSpelaeornis badeigularis Ripley, 1948 | TimaliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tawny-breasted Wren-BabblerSpelaeornis longicaudatus (F. Moore, 1854) | TimaliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bar-winged Wren-BabblerSpelaeornis troglodytoides (J. Verreaux, 1871) | TimaliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Rufous-throated Wren-BabblerSpelaeornis caudatus (Blyth, 1845) | TimaliidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Pnoepyga chocolatina Godwin-Austen & Walden, 1875 Godwin-Austen & Walden, 1875 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=563049 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4YHDY. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.