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Nuthatch relationships according to Pasquet, et al. (2014). [6] |
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Nuthatch relationships according to Päckert et al. (2020). [7] |
Chestnut-vented nuthatch | |
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Subspecies S. n. grisiventris on Nat Ma Taung (Mount Victoria), Myanmar. | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Sittidae |
Genus: | Sitta |
Species: | S. nagaensis |
Binomial name | |
Sitta nagaensis Godwin-Austen, 1874 | |
Range of the chestnut-vented nuthatch | |
Synonyms [2] | |
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The chestnut-vented nuthatch (Sitta nagaensis) is a species of bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring 12.5–14 cm (4.9–5.5 in) in length. The upperparts are a solid grey-blue, with a markedly black loral stripe. The underparts are uniform grey to buff from the throat to belly, with brick red on the flanks. The undertail is white with a rufous border. The chestnut-vented nuthatch utters different kinds of calls, which can sometimes sound like a wren alarm, and its song is a monotonous, stereotypical crackle, typically chichichichi. Its ecology is poorly known, but it probably feeds on small arthropods and seeds, and the breeding season begins between March and May. The nest is typically located in a hole in the trunk of a tree, and the clutch has two to five eggs.
Chestnut-vented nuthatches are found in the northeast of India, in parts of Tibet and south-central China, descending into eastern Myanmar and northwestern Thailand. Isolated populations also live in southern Laos and Vietnam. It mainly lives in evergreen forests or pine forests, but can also live in mixed or deciduous forests. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. Its altitudinal distribution varies according to the localities, but ranges from 915–4,570 m (3,002–14,993 ft). The species was described in 1874 by the British naturalist Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen, who named it Sitta nagaensis after the Naga Hills, where the type material was collected. It belongs to the S. europaea group of species, including the Kashmir nuthatch (S. cashmirensis) and the Eurasian nuthatch (S. europaea), all of which build mud entrances to their nests. The species' population is not known but appears to be declining. However, the bird's range is relatively wide, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature currently considers the species of least concern.
The chestnut-vented nuthatch was described as Sitta nagaensis in 1874 by the British naturalist Henry Haversham Godwin-Austen. [3] Its species name is composed of naga and the Latin suffix -ensis, "that lives in, that inhabits", and was given in reference to the area when the type of the species was collected, the Naga Hills. [4] The chestnut-vented nuthatch is placed in the rarely-used subgenus Sitta(Linnaeus, 1758). [5]
In 2014, Eric Pasquet and colleagues published a phylogeny based on examination of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA of 21 nuthatch species. [fn. 2] The europaea group is related to the two nuthatches that live in rocky environments, the western rock nuthatch (S. neumayer) and the eastern rock nuthatch (S. tephronota). Within the europaea group, the white-tailed nuthatch (S. himalayensis) and therefore probably the white-browed nuthatch (S. victoriae), which closely resembles it in terms of its morphology, although it was not included in the study, appear to be basal, and the chestnut-vented nuthatch is closely related to the Eurasian nuthatch (S. europaea) and the Kashmir nuthatch (S. cashmirensis). [6]
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Nuthatch relationships according to Pasquet, et al. (2014). [6] |
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Nuthatch relationships according to Päckert et al. (2020). [7] |
There are three accepted subspecies of the chestnut-vented nuthatch. [8]
The subspecies S. n. montium was considered to possibly be the result of hybridisation between chestnut-vented nuthatch and the Chinese subspecies of Eurasian nuthatch Sitta europaea sinensis , [11] or at least to be able to interbreed with it. [12] This is possibly due to the fact that the type series of S. e. sinensis was composite and included a specimen of the chestnut-vented nuthatch. For these reasons, Jean-François Voisin and colleagues designated a lectotype in 2002 for the name Sitta sinensis(Verreaux, 1871). [13] [14] The attribution of the populations of western Myanmar and southern Indochina to the same subspecies S. n. grisiventris, with S. n. montium in central Myanmar between these populations seems untenable, and their taxonomy has yet to be verified. [15]
The chestnut-vented nuthatch is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring 12.5–14 cm (4.9–5.5 in) in length. [12] [15] The upperparts are a solid blue-grey from crown to tail, with a marked black loral line extending to the base of the wing. The underparts are pale grey, more or less tinted buff-tinged depending on the subspecies or the wear of the plumage; the dark brick-red back flanks contrast strongly with the rest of the underparts. [12] The undertail coverts , which may be of the same colour depending on the subspecies, have a large white border at the end of the feathers or a white patch near the tip. [12]
The species does not show marked sexual dimorphism. The male's rear flanks are deep brick-red, deeper and less orange than the undertail coverts, whereas the female's flanks are rufous, concolorous with the undertail coverts. Females also have duller underparts, and juveniles are more buff than adults with worn plumage. [12] The iris is brown to dark brown, the bill is greyish-black to blackish with the base of the lower mandible (and sometimes the base of the upper) slate-grey or blue-grey. The legs are dark brown, greenish or blue-grey, with almost black claws. [12]
Three subspecies are accepted, but variation is essentially clinal, with Chinese populations (S. n. montium) having buff underparts, which get duller and purer grey as they move southward in the species' distribution. In Northeast India and western Myanmar, S. n. nagaensis in fresh plumage is as buff as S. n. montium in worn plumage. In southern Vietnam and southwestern Myanmar, S. n. grisiventris has purer grey underparts than S. n. nagaensis. [12] Adults undergo a complete moult after the breeding season, from May to June, and an incomplete moult occurs before it. [12]
The range of the chestnut-vented nuthatch overlaps with that of the Burmese nuthatch (S. neglecta). However, the chestnut-vented nuthatch is easily distinguished by the colour of its underparts, and the lack of contrast between the sides of the head and the throat, whereas the other species has white chins, cheeks, and parotid region contrasting with brick-red to orange-brown underparts. However, in the chestnut-vented nuthatch, some individuals in fresh plumage (especially in S. n. montium) may have underparts almost as buff as some Burmese nuthatch females or juveniles. The chestnut-vented nuthatch can then be recognised by its darker, duller blue upperparts, by its red flanks contrasting with the buff, and by its undertail, with feathers edged with red giving a "scales" pattern, when they appear almost uniformly white in the Burmese nuthatch. [12]
The subspecies S. n. montium can also be confused with the subspecies S. e. sinensis of the Eurasian nuthatch (S. europaea) where they coexist in Sichuan and Fujian. As the latter subspecies has more orange underparts, some Eurasian females may be difficult to differentiate from chestnut-vented nuthatches in fresh plumage. The two species can be distinguished by their vocalisations, with chestnut-vented nuthatch lacking the characteristic singing dwip of the Euraisan nuthatch. [12] Hybrids between these two taxa have been suggested, [11] with montane populations of S. e. sinensis being, like the chestnut-vented nuthatch, greyer on the underside, darker above, and larger than lowland individuals. The chestnut-vented nuthatch, however, is even greyer, and does not have the whitish cheeks of the Eurasian nuthatch. [12]
In southwest China, the chestnut-vented nuthatch lives within the range of the Yunnan nuthatch (S. yunnanensis). However, the latter is smaller, has a thin white supercilium, and has plain, pale buff underparts with no russet on the flanks. [16] In northeastern India and northwestern Myanmar, the chestnut-vented nuthatch can also be confused with the white-tailed nuthatch (S. himalayensis); both species share similar habitats. The white-tailed nuthatch, however, has a white spot on the top of the middle rectrices, and has more orange underparts, without brick-red flanks or white spots on the undertail. [12] The giant nuthatch (S. magna), whose distribution overlaps with that of the chestnut-vented nuthatch in India, Myanmar, and Thailand, differs from the latter in being much larger in size, having a finer eyestripe , and having a crown that is much lighter than the rest of the mantle . [12]
The chestnut-vented nuthatch generally lives alone or in pairs, but joins mixed-species foraging flocks outside of the breeding season. In winter, it can thus be observed in the company of different species of tits (Paridae) such as the yellow-cheeked tit (Maclolophus spilonotus), bushtits, [17] woodpeckers, [18] alcippes, and minlas. [5] [19]
The chestnut-vented nuthatch's calls are varied, with squeaky sit or sit-sit sounds, repeated more or less rapidly with various inflections and in irregular series. Similar but drier tchip or tchit sounds are sometimes made, often in a trill reminiscent of the alarm of a Eurasian wren (Troglodytes troglodytes). The alarm calls of the chestnut-vented nuthatch are reported in English-language literature as nasal sounds in quir, kner or mew, as well as an emphatic, metallic tsit, sometimes doubled or repeated in quick series. The song is a stereotyped, monotonous rattle or tremolo in chichichichichi ... or trr-rrrrrrr-ri ..., lasting less than a second or sometimes slowed down to chi-chi-chi-chi-chi ... or diu-diu-diu- diu-diu reminiscent of the song of the Eurasian nuthatch. [12]
The chestnut-vented nuthatch often forages for food on the ground, on rocks, old stumps, or in trees. [12] No specific information about the diet is known, but the species probably feeds on small arthropods and seeds. [15]
Although the breeding season varies by region, it generally takes place in Thailand from March to May, March to June for India, April to early June for eastern Myanmar, and April to May in Fujian. On Nat Ma Taung, juveniles have been observed as early as March 31. According to observations made in Thailand and Vietnam, the construction of the nest begins in January. It is located at a height of about 10 m (390 in) in the hole of a tree, or in a stump. [12]
The chestnut-vented nuthatch, like the Eurasian nuthatch and other species of the family, may line the entrance of a cavity with mud to reduce the opening and thus avoid predation of the brood. The bottom of the nest is lined with pieces of bark and moss and topped with hair. Two to five eggs are laid, averaging 18.6 mm × 13.8 mm (0.73 in × 0.54 in) in S. n. nagaensis and 18.3 mm × 14 mm (0.72 in × 0.55 in) in S. n. montium. They are white, with red dots on a mottled reddish-purple background, the red dots mainly concentrated at the larger end of the egg. [15] [12]
The chestnut-vented nuthatch lives from Tibet to the mountains of Lâm Đồng province in southern Vietnam. [12] [8] In India, it is found only in the far eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya. The species lives in the Chin Hills of western Myanmar, but most of its distribution in Myanmar is in the eastern half of the country, from Kachin State to at least Shan State, and also into northwestern Thailand. It also nests in Tibet and south-central China, from western Sichuan to Yunnan and marginally in southwestern Guizhou. An isolated Chinese population also lives in northwestern Fujian, on Mount Huanggang. [12] Two other isolated populations from the southernmost part of the species' distribution, one occurring in southern Vietnam on the Đà Lạt Plateau, [12] another being reported in Laos on the Bolaven Plateau. [20] [21]
The chestnut-vented nuthatch usually inhabits evergreen forests of the uplands, or forests and pine patches growing on dry ridges in the middle of evergreen forests. Locally, it also occurs in deciduous forests in northeastern India, in Quercus subsericea oak forests and alder groves in northeastern Myanmar, spruce forests (Picea sp.), fir forests (Abies sp.) or rhododendron stands in Yunnan, or poplar (Populus sp.) and walnut (Juglans sp.) in Sichuan. [12] The altitudinal distribution ranges from 1,400–2,600 m (4,600–8,500 ft) in India, Thailand, and Myanmar, occasionally occurring up to 3,200 m (10,500 ft) in the latter. It also occurs from 1,050–3,500 m (3,440–11,480 ft) in Tibet and Sichuan and up to 4,570 m (15,000 ft) in Yunnan. The population in southern Vietnam lives between 915–2,285 m (3,002–7,497 ft). [12]
The population of the chestnut-vented nuthatch is declining due to habitat destruction and fragmentation, but its range is large and was estimated to be 3.8 million km2 (1.5 million square miles), [1] and the species is generally common throughout its range. [12] For these reasons, the chestnut-vented nuthatch is considered to be of least concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. [1] A study carried out in 2009 tried to predict the impact of climate change on the distribution of several species of nuthatches in Asia by modeling two scenarios. It predicted that the chestnut-vented nuthatch could see its distribution decrease between the 2040s and 2069 by 15.9 to 17.4%. [22]
The nuthatches constitute a genus, Sitta, of small passerine birds belonging to the family Sittidae. Characterised by large heads, short tails, and powerful bills and feet, nuthatches advertise their territory using loud, simple songs. Most species exhibit grey or bluish upperparts and a black eye stripe.
The Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch is a small passerine bird found throughout the Palearctic and in Europe. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-gray upperparts and a black eye-stripe. It is a vocal bird with a repeated loud dwip call. There are more than 20 subspecies in three main groups; birds in the west of the range have orange-buff underparts and a white throat, those in Russia have whitish underparts, and those in the east have a similar appearance to European birds, but lack the white throat.
The beautiful nuthatch is a bird species in the family Sittidae, collectively known as nuthatches. It is a large nuthatch, measuring 16.5 cm (6.5 in) in length, that is not sexually dimorphic. Its coloration and markings are dramatic, the upper parts being black and azure, streaked with white and pale blue on the head and lined with the same colors on the wing feathers. The underparts are orange, and the eyebrow and throat are ochre. An irregular, dark eyestripe highlights its eye. S. formosa's ecology is not fully described, but it is known to feed on small insects and larvae found on the trunks and epiphyte-covered branches of trees in its range. Reproduction takes place from April to May; the nest is placed in the hole of an oak, rhododendron, or other large tree. The nest is made of plant material and fur in which the bird typically lays four to six eggs.
The white-breasted nuthatch is a species of bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring approximately 15.5 cm (6.1 in) in length. Coloration varies somewhat along the species' range, but the upperparts are light blue-gray, with a black crown and nape in males, while females have a dark gray crown. The underparts are whitish, with a reddish tinge on the lower abdomen. Despite not being closely related, the white-breasted nuthatch and the white wagtail are very similar in plumage. The white-breasted nuthatch is a noisy bird. It has a nasal voice and often utters little cries or vocalizations, often composed of repetitions of small invariant whistles. In summer, it is an exclusively insectivorous bird, consuming a wide range of arthropods, but in winter its diet consists mainly of seeds. The nest is located in the cavity of a tree. The clutch consists of five to nine eggs, incubated for two weeks by the female, who is fed by the male. The two adults then feed the young until they fledge, and for a few weeks after that.
The red-breasted nuthatch is a small songbird. The adult has blue-grey upperparts with cinnamon underparts, a white throat and face with a black stripe through the eyes, a straight grey bill and a black crown. Its call, which has been likened to a tin trumpet, is high-pitched and nasal. It breeds in coniferous forests across Canada, Alaska and the northeastern and western United States. Though often a permanent resident, it regularly irrupts further south if its food supply fails. There are records of vagrants occurring as far south as the Gulf Coast and northern Mexico. It forages on the trunks and large branches of trees, often descending head first, sometimes catching insects in flight. It eats mainly insects and seeds, especially from conifers. It excavates its nest in dead wood, often close to the ground, smearing the entrance with pitch.
The velvet-fronted nuthatch is a small passerine bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae found in southern Asia from Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh east to south China and Indonesia. Like other nuthatches, it feeds on insects in the bark of trees, foraging on the trunks and branches and their strongly clawed toes allow them to climb down tree trunks or move on the undersides of horizontal branches. They are found in forests with good tree cover and are often found along with other species in mixed-species foraging flocks. Adult males can be told apart by the black stripe that runs behind and above the eyes. They have a rapid chipping call note. They breed in tree cavities and holes, often created by woodpeckers or barbets.
The Corsican nuthatch is a species of bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a relatively small nuthatch, measuring about 12 cm (4.7 in) in overall length. The upperparts are bluish-grey, the underparts greyish-white. The male is distinguished from the female by its entirely black crown. The species is sedentary, territorial and not very shy. It often feeds high in Corsican pines, consuming mainly pine seeds, but also catching some flying insects. The breeding season takes place between April and May; the nest is placed in the trunk of an old pine, and the clutch has five to six eggs. The young fledge 22 to 24 days after hatching.
The Algerian nuthatch or Kabyle nuthatch is a species of bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring between 11.5 cm (4.5 in) and 12.5 cm (4.9 in). The upperparts are bluish-grey. The male can be distinguished from the female by the black front of its crown. The species is sedentary; it feeds on arthropods in summer and on seeds in winter. The breeding season takes place around May–June. The nest, built in a hole of tree, shelters a laying of three or four eggs, brooded by the female. The chicks are fed by both parents.
The western rock nuthatch is a small passerine bird which breeds from Croatia east through Greece and Turkey to Iran. This nuthatch is largely resident apart from some post-breeding dispersal. The eastern rock nuthatch Sitta tephronota is a separate species, which occurs further east in south-central Asia.
Krüper's nuthatch is a species of bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a small to medium-sized nuthatch, measuring 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in) in length. The upperparts are blue-grey, with the front half of the crown black in adults of both sexes, but with a less marked in the female rear. The species has a black or grey eyestripe and a prominent white supercilium. The underparts are blue-grey in males and buff-grey in females, with a large, crescent-shaped rufous pectoral patch. It feeds on insects in the summer and seeds, especially pine seeds, in autumn and winter. Breeding takes place between March and May, and the nest is usually placed in a tree hole. The clutch consists of five to seven eggs, incubated by the female and fed by the male. Both parents take part in feeding the young.
The blue nuthatch is a bird species in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring 13.5 cm (5.3 in) in length. The species, which shows slight sexual dimorphism, has dramatic coloration unlike any other member of its genus. Its head is black or blackish-blue dark blue upperparts close to purple with azure feathers. The wings are edged with black. The throat and chest are white or a washed buff color, contrasting with the upperparts and the belly of a very dark blue; the covert feathers are generally clear, blue-gray or purplish.
The white-tailed nuthatch is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It ranges across the northern and northeastern parts of the Indian Subcontinent, existing mainly in the low-to-middle Himalayas, as well as associated mountain ranges. It is found in Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Tibet and Thailand.
The white-browed nuthatch, also known as the Victoria nuthatch, is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It is a small nuthatch, measuring 11.5 cm (4.5 in) in length and without sexual dimorphism. Like many other nuthatches, the upperparts are gray-blue, contrasting with white underparts on the throat, cheeks, and breast and orange on the flanks, belly, and lower abdomen. Its white supercilium makes it easy to distinguish it from the white-tailed nuthatch, which is a close species in the systematic and geographical sense. Little is known about its ecology, but it feeds on small insects found among bark and lichens, and breeding occurs around April.
The Chinese nuthatch or snowy-browed nuthatch is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It is a small nuthatch, measuring 11.5 cm (4.5 in) in length. The upperparts are blue-gray and the underparts from a dull buff-grayish to a cinnamon-orange; the cheeks are white. There is a marked sexual dimorphism: the adult male is distinguished by its very black crown, while that of the female is the same blue-grey as the back, or at most dark gray when the plumage is worn. In both sexes, a dark gray eyestripe extends in front of and behind the eye, topped by a clear white supercilium separating it from the crown. The song is variable, and composed of repetitions of small invariant whistles. The species feeds mainly on insects in summer and completes its diet with seeds and fruits. The nest is generally placed in the hole of a conifer. The pairs raises one brood per year, with five or six chicks.
The Yunnan nuthatch is a bird species in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It was first described by William Robert Ogilvie-Grant in 1900 based on a male holotype. It is a small nuthatch, measuring 12 centimetres (4.7 in) in length on average and weighs between 7.5 and 13 grams. The grey-blue upperparts contrast with the light, smooth, buffy lowerparts. It has a fine white eyebrow above a black eyestripe, which is distinct when the plumage is fresh, and exhibits a small degree of sexual dimorphism. A noisy bird, it produces simple, nasal sounds, sometimes in repetitive series.
The chestnut-bellied nuthatch belongs to the family Sittidae.
The Siberian nuthatch is a bird species of the family Sittidae. For a long time considered as a subspecies of the Eurasian nuthatch, it was clearly differentiated in 2006 on the basis of morphological and molecular characters. It is on average marginally larger than the Eurasian nuthatch, and also differs in some morphological features such as the shape of its bill, the size of its claws and the colour of its underwing and outer rectrices. Its song has also been described as "distinctly different" from that of the Eurasian nuthatch, though without further clarification.
Przevalski's nuthatch, originally given the nomen nudumSitta eckloni, is a bird species in the family Sittidae, collectively known as nuthatches. Long regarded as a subspecies of the white-cheeked nuthatch, it nevertheless differs significantly in morphology and vocalizations. Both S. przewalskii and S. leucopsis have been regarded as closely related to the North American white-breasted nuthatch. It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring about 13 cm (5 in) in length. Its upper body is a dark gray-blue or slate color, becoming dark blue-black at the crown. The cheeks and throat are a white buff-orange, turning to a rich cinnamon on the underparts that intensifies in color on the sides of the breast. Vocalizations consist of alternating series of ascending whistles and short notes.
The giant nuthatch is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It is the largest of the nuthatches, measuring 19.5 cm (7.7 in) in length. Its upperparts are bluish gray, with the front being light gray, contrasting with the darker rest of the back. The bird has two very thick black eyebrow lines and light gray underparts, with whitish cheeks and throat, and a belly more or less washed with buff and cinnamon. For a nuthatch, it has a long beak and tail. The female can be distinguished from the male by its duller eye features and its upperparts having less contrast between the crown, nape, and lower back. The calls are powerful and made up of repetitions of simple patterns. The species gleans its food from the trunks and branches of trees, especially pines, and feeds on insects and berries. It nests around March, in the hole of a tree and without masking the entrance, and the nest has about three young.