White-tailed nuthatch

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White-tailed nuthatch
White-tailed Nuthatch, Nibuwatar, Nepal 1.jpg
In Nibuwatar, Nepal
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sittidae
Genus: Sitta
Species:
S. himalayensis
Binomial name
Sitta himalayensis
Jardine & Selby, 1835

The white-tailed nuthatch (Sitta himalayensis) 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.

Contents

Description and ecology

It is 12 cm long, slightly smaller than the other related Himalayan nuthatches, and may be identified by the buff underside, smaller beak than in the Kashmir nuthatch (S. cashmirensis), and paler blue-grey mantle than others except for Kashmir nuthatch. The white patch on the centre of the upper tail coverts is difficult to see in the field. [2] It has a small bill and pale orangey underparts with unmarked bright rufous undertail-coverts. The black eyestripe is broader than that of Kashmir nuthatch, and flared wider behind the eye.

It is resident in the sub-Himalayan range from Himachal Pradesh to Arunachal Pradesh and into the South Assam Hills (Lushai Hills). It breeds from March to May in broad-leaved and mixed forest. [3]

Habitat

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland broadleaf forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests; it breeds at 1,500–3,400 m altitude, descending in winter to as low as 920 m. [2]

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2016). "Sitta himalayensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016 e.T22711164A94281551. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22711164A94281551.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Kazmierczak, Krys (2000). A Field Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. New Haven: Yale University Press. pp. 280–281. ISBN   0-300-07921-4.
  3. ↑ Rasmussen, P.C.; Anderton, J.C. (2005). Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions.
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