Spiny Babbler
Turdoides nipalensis
- Family
- Laughingthrushes and Allies (Leiothrichidae)
- Order
- Passeriformes
Overview
The spiny babbler (Turdoides nipalensis) is a species of bird in the family Leiothrichidae. Found only in the Middle Hills of Nepal, it can for example be seen around the Kathmandu valley, specifically around the Godavari and Phulchoki area close to the city of Lalitpur.
Also known locally as the Kande Bhyakur, literally translated "thorny bird". It was first scientifically described by Brian Houghton Hodgson in the mid-19th century, then never seen again and even feared extinct until famously rediscovered by Sidney Dillon Ripley, an American ornithologist, in the late 1940s.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to see it
Destination guides featuring this bird
- JJanuary: Good
- FFebruary: Good
- MMarch: Best
- AApril: Best
- MMay: Best
- JJune: Poor or no data
- JJuly: Poor or no data
- AAugust: Poor or no data
- SSeptember: Poor or no data
- OOctober: Good
- NNovember: Good
- DDecember: Good
- JJanuary: Good
- FFebruary: Good
- MMarch: Best
- AApril: Best
- MMay: Best
- JJune: Poor or no data
- JJuly: Poor or no data
- AAugust: Poor or no data
- SSeptember: Poor or no data
- OOctober: Good
- NNovember: Good
- DDecember: Good
Range and habitat
Himalayas of western and central Nepal.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Spiny babbler
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.

