Mishmi Wren-Babbler Spelaeornis badeigularis Scientific name definitions

The Mishmi Wren-Babbler is one of the least-known birds of the Indian Subcontinent. It was originally described as a new species from a single specimen collected in January 1947 from the Mishmi Hills of Arunachal Pradesh, India. The original description treated it as a distinct species based on plumage and morphological differences from its congeners, such as the Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler (Spelaeornis caudatus) and Tawny-breasted Wren-Babbler (Spelaeornis longicaudatus). Known only from the type-specimen, its specific status was maintained in a majority of subsequent works, but it was provisionally considered conspecific with the similar Rufous-throated Wren-Babbler by some, perhaps due to the unavailability of further information and lack of additional specimens since its description. For the next 57 years, the single specimen at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History was the only evidence of the existence of this species, until its rediscovery in November 2004 made ornithological headlines worldwide. With subsequent research and knowledge of its song, this species has since been found to be common near the type locality and in surrounding areas of the Mishmi Hills, but it remains a threatened species on account of its very restricted distribution and localized loss of habitat. This article summarizes the almost non-existent knowledge of the Mishmi Wren-Babbler, as well as the conservation status of this enigmatic inhabitant of montane forest.