Taiwan Cupwing
Pnoepyga formosana Ingram, C, 1909
8–9 cmLength21 gWeight
This small bird endemic to Taiwan (China) appears tailless and has fish-scale markings on the breast.
Busiest months: May · Most records: China
Looks like Scaly-breasted Cupwing
How to identify
Field marks
- Body length 8–9 cm, apparently tailless
- Upperparts olive-brown
- Breast with pale fish-scale markings on a blackish background
- More reddish-brown than Scaly-breasted Cupwing
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: May · Most records: China
Taiwan Cupwing has been recorded at 7 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Nantou – Meifeng Highland Experimental Farm of NTUTaiwan (China)734 records
- Yushan NP – TatakaTaiwan (China)556 records
- Dasyueshan IBA – Xiaoxueshan Lodge (50K)Taiwan (China)553 records
More places
- Nantou – Xitou Nature Education AreaTaiwan (China)537 records
- Dasyueshan IBA – Dasyueshan Forest-Road 23.5KTaiwan (China)51 records
- Dasyueshan IBA – Hengliu Creek (15K)Taiwan (China)8 records
- Taipei – WulaiTaiwan (China)4 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 Taiwan (China) cupwing (Pnoepyga formosana), also known as Taiwan (China) wren-babbler, is a species of passerine bird in the family Pnoepygidae. The species is endemic to the island of Taiwan (China). It was treated for a long time as a subspecies of the scaly-breasted cupwing.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Taiwan Cupwing?
The Taiwan Cupwing is about 8–9 cm long and weighs around 21 g.
Where does the Taiwan Cupwing live?
Its breeding range: Oriental: Taiwan (China). It is most often recorded in China.
When is the best time to see the Taiwan Cupwing?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Taiwan Cupwing endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Taiwan Cupwing as Least Concern.
What does the Taiwan Cupwing eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Taiwan Cupwing in?
It belongs to the family Cupwings (Pnoepygidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 8–9 cm
- Weight
- 21 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Varied
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 53 mm
- Tail
- 15 mm
- Bill
- 13 mm
- Tarsus
- 21 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental: Taiwan (China)
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Cupwings Pnoepygidae
- Genus
- Pnoepyga
Other birds in the genus Pnoepyga
Nepal CupwingPnoepyga immaculata
Pygmy CupwingPnoepyga pusilla
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by usaviah. ↗
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