Julian P. Donahue The Rusty-throated Wren-babbler was previously known from a single 1947 specimen, until its rediscovery in 2004 Zoom In

Wren-babbler found after 50 years

18-05-2005

On 18 November 2004 Ben King and Julian P. Donahue rediscovered the Rusty-throated Wren-Babbler Spelaeornis badeigularis in India's Arunachal Pradesh region. The species had not previously seen for more than fifty years.

The wren-babbler was refound at an elevation of 6,000 feet (1,800 m) on the Roing-Hunli road, in the Dibang River drainage of the Mishmi Hills, eastern Himalaya. The bird initially responded to a tape-recording of its nearest relative, the Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler Spelaeornis caudatus – its responses were recorded and played back, with excellent results.

Rusty-throated Wren-Babbler Spelaeornis badeigularis was described by Ripley in 1948, based upon a unique female specimen mist-netted by the Ripley party on 5 January 1947 at an elevation of 5,100 feet (1,545 m) at Dreyi, on the Lohit River drainage of the Mishmi Hills. There had been no additional records or field observations of the species for almost 58 years until now.

"We had little difficulty locating the furtive, active bird, from its vocalisations and the movement of the dense roadside undergrowth, but it took an hour of effort to observe enough 'pieces' of the bird to conclusively identify it." —Julian P. Donahue

The team subsequently learned that the species is easily located (but excruciatingly difficult to observe) on the roadside between Roing and Hunli, on both the north and south sides of Mayodia Pass (elev. 2,655 m), in broadleaf evergreen forest at elevations of 5,100–7,700 feet (1,545–2,330 m); one day they elicited responses from seven different birds along just one kilometer of road.

The species is currently classified by BirdLife as Vulnerable.