NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Spiny Babbler
Turdoides nipalensis (Hodgson, 1836)
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 spiny babbler (Turdoides nipalensis) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. Found only in the Middle Hills of Nepal, it can for example be seen around the Kathmandu valley, specifically around the Godavari and Phulchoki area close to the city of Lalitpur.
Also known locally as the Kande Bhyakur, literally translated "thorny bird". It was first scientifically described by Brian Houghton Hodgson in the mid-19th century, then never seen again and even feared extinct until famously rediscovered by Sidney Dillon Ripley, an American ornithologist, in the late 1940s.
It is predominantly a shy bird but can be seen in the early breeding season when the males sing out in the open. It lives in dense scrubs and mounts branches of bushes and small trees to sing.
It is threatened by the clearance of scrub for agriculture and expansion of urban areas.
Wikipedia contributors, Spiny babbler; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T03:30:55.558371+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Turdoides nipalensis (Hodgson, 1836)
- Name authority
- (Hodgson, 1836)
- Common name
- Spiny Babbler
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Leiothrichidae
- Genus
- Turdoides
- 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
- familyLeiothrichidae Swainson, 1832
- genusTurdoides Cretzschmar, 1826
- speciesTurdoides nipalensis (Hodgson, 1836)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Turdoides. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Hartlaub's BabblerTurdoides hartlaubii (Barboza du Bocage, 1868) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Northern Pied BabblerTurdoides hypoleuca (Cabanis, 1878) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Arrow-marked BabblerTurdoides jardineii (A. Smith, 1836) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-rumped BabblerTurdoides leucopygia (Rüppell, 1837) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Dusky BabblerTurdoides tenebrosa (Hartlaub, 1883) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Chapin's BabblerTurdoides chapini (Schouteden, 1949) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-throated Mountain BabblerTurdoides gilberti (Serle, 1949) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Southern Pied BabblerTurdoides bicolor (Jardine, 1831) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Hinde's BabblerTurdoides hindei (Sharpe, 1900) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| White-headed BabblerTurdoides leucocephala Cretzschmar, 1826 | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black-faced BabblerTurdoides melanops (Hartlaub, 1867) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Brown BabblerTurdoides plebejus (Cretzschmar, 1828) | LeiothrichidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Acanthoptila nipalensis (Hodgson, 1836) (Hodgson, 1836) | synonym |
| Timalia nipalensis Hodgson, 1836 Hodgson, 1836 | 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=563552 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:7CYVJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.