wren-babbler, any of about 20 species of small Asian birds belonging to the babbler family Timaliidae (order Passeriformes). They are 10 to 15 centimetres (4 to 6 inches) long, rather short-tailed, and have a rather short and straight bill. These features differentiate wren-babblers from the closely related scimitar-babblers. Wren-babblers occur chiefly in southern Asia. An example is the streaked long-tailed wren-babbler (Spelaeornis chocolatinus) of northern Indochina, where it is found in small restless flocks in thickets.