| Spotted elachura | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Songs (recorded inWuyuan County, Jiangxi) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Elachuridae Alström et al., 2014 |
| Genus: | Elachura Oates, 1889 |
| Species: | E. formosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Elachura formosa (Walden, 1874) | |
| Synonyms | |
Spelaeornis formosus | |
Thespotted elachura orspotted wren-babbler (Elachura formosa) is a species ofpasserine bird found in the forests of the eastern Himalayas and Southeast Asia. In the past it was included in thebabbler genusSpelaeornis asS. formosus, butmolecular phylogenetic studies in 2014 provided evidence that it was distinct from the babblers and part of abasal lineage (one that diverged early) with no other close living relatives within the passerine birdcladePasserida. This led to the creation of a new family,Elachuridae, to accommodate just one species (amonotypic taxon).[2]
The spotted elachura measures 10 cm including its short tail. It is dark brown all over, with rufous wings and tail. It also has white speckles all over its body, shifting to black barring on its wings and tail.
It is found inBangladesh,Bhutan,China,India,Laos,Myanmar,Nepal, andVietnam. Its naturalhabitat is subtropical or tropical moistmontane forests. This species is found in undergrowth and dense thickets of this type of forest, with a preference for thick fern ground cover, mossy rocks and decaying trunks of fallen trees and brushwood (often near a stream or creek), long grass, and scrub.[3]
