Nepal cupwing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nepal cupwing |
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| at Dehradun, India | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Pnoepygidae |
| Genus: | Pnoepyga |
| Species: |
P. immaculata
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| Binomial name | |
| Pnoepyga immaculata Martens & Eck, 1991
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The Nepal cupwing (Pnoepyga immaculata) is a tiny bird that lives in the Himalayas. People also call it the immaculate cupwing. It belongs to a special bird family called Pnoepygidae. You can find this small bird in thick mountain forests in places like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Tibet, and Nepal.
Contents
About the Nepal Cupwing
How Scientists Name and Group Birds
Scientists group living things into families and types. This helps us understand how they are related. The Nepal cupwing is part of a group called Pnoepyga. Its closest bird relatives are the scaly-breasted cupwing, Taiwan cupwing, and pygmy cupwing.
Two scientists, Jochen Martens and Siegfried Eck, first described this bird in 1991. They realized it was a unique species because its song sounded different from other similar birds. Later, studies using DNA showed that the Nepal cupwing is very closely related to the pygmy cupwing.
Changing Names
For a long time, the Nepal cupwing and its relatives were thought to be part of the Old World babbler family. But in 2009, scientists learned more about their DNA. They found that cupwings were special enough to have their own family, called Pnoepygidae.
The official name for this bird is "Nepal cupwing." This name is used by big bird groups like the International Ornithologists' Union. In some places, like America and India, people often call it the "immaculate cupwing." You might also hear the old name "Nepal wren-babbler," but it's not used officially anymore.
What Does It Look Like?
The Nepal cupwing is a very small bird. It measures about 8.5 to 10 centimeters (about 3 to 4 inches) long. Its feathers are a brownish-olive color.
Unique Features
This bird has dark, scale-like patterns on its back. Its belly has lighter scales. The feathers on its chest also look scaly and are brown in the middle. Its flight feathers (the ones used for flying) have pale edges. One of its most noticeable features is its very short tail.
How to Identify It
It's hard to tell the Nepal cupwing apart from other cupwings just by looking at them. They all look very similar! The best way to identify a Nepal cupwing is by listening to its song. Its song is special and different from other cupwings. It sings a steady series of thin, short, and fast whistles. These whistles go down in pitch, making them easy to recognize.
Where Does It Live?
The Nepal cupwing lives in the lower parts of the Himalayas mountains. It is a regular resident in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Nepal. You can also find it, though less often, around Zhangmu in Tibet.
Its Home
This bird loves to live in dense undergrowth (the plants and bushes under the main trees) in mountain forests. It prefers medium and low mountain elevations.
Moving Around
The Nepal cupwing does not migrate long distances like some birds. However, it does make altitudinal movements. This means it moves up and down the mountains depending on the season. In winter, it might move down to elevations as low as 250 meters (about 820 feet). It usually lives between 1800 and 2200 meters (about 5,900 to 7,200 feet). It might even breed as high as 3100 meters (about 10,000 feet).
Generally, this species prefers dark, shady forests. It likes to stay close to the forest floor, hidden among the plants.
Conservation Status
The Nepal cupwing's conservation status is "Least Concern." This means that scientists believe it is not currently in danger of disappearing.
 | Delilah Pierce |
 | Gordon Parks |
 | Augusta Savage |
 | Charles Ethan Porter |
