Nepal Cupwing (Pnoepyga immaculata)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Nepal Cupwing

Pnoepyga immaculata Martens, J & Eck, 1991

10 cmLength20 gWeight

This tiny rufous-olive bird has a very short tail.

Busiest months: February · Most records: India, Nepal, China

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Tail extremely short
  2. Body rufous-olive
  3. Upperparts with dark scaling
  4. Flight feathers with pale edges

Voice

A series of thin, short, rapid whistles, gradually descending in pitch.

Where and when it's recorded

Nepal Cupwing has been recorded at 17 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Forest Research Institute (FRI), New Forest CampusIndia81 records
  2. SattalIndia39 records
  3. Wildlife Institute of IndiaIndia31 records
More places
  1. Corbett NPIndia23 records
  2. Corbett NP – DhikalaIndia22 records
  3. PangotIndia12 records
  4. Langtang National Park - Syabru to Lama HotelNepal11 records
  5. Gyirong – Jifu VillageChina6 records
  6. Asan Conservation ReserveIndia4 records
  7. Wildlife Institute of India (WII) – Nature Trail & LakeIndia4 records

Countries and regions with the most records

IndiaNepalChina

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Nepal cupwing (Pnoepyga immaculata), also known as the Nepal wren-babbler or immaculate cupwing, is a small species of passerine bird in the family Pnoepygidae. It is native to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tibet, and Nepal. It is found in dense montane forest in the Himalayas.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Nepal Cupwing?

The Nepal Cupwing is about 10 cm long and weighs around 20 g.

Where does the Nepal Cupwing live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: Indian Himalayas to Nepal. It is most often recorded in India, Nepal and China.

When is the best time to see the Nepal Cupwing?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Nepal Cupwing endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Nepal Cupwing as Least Concern.

What does the Nepal Cupwing eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Nepal Cupwing in?

It belongs to the family Cupwings (Pnoepygidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
10 cm
Weight
20 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
56 mm
Tail
15 mm
Bill
13 mm
Tarsus
22 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: Indian Himalayas to Nepal

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Cupwings Pnoepygidae
Genus
Pnoepyga

Other birds in the genus Pnoepyga

Scaly-breasted CupwingScaly-breasted CupwingPnoepyga albiventerTaiwan CupwingTaiwan CupwingPnoepyga formosanaPygmy CupwingPygmy CupwingPnoepyga pusilla
Nepal Cupwing

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Vipul Ramanuj. ↗

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