Hill Station Dalhousie, Alt. 7000 ft., Distt. Chamba, HP-Himalayas, India, June-2014
Alternative name: Brooks's Nuthatch
- Sitta cashmirensis
Identification
14cm. A medium-sized Nuthatch.
- Dull blue-grey crown and upperparts
- Rufous-buff underparts with unmarked vent
- Long and heavy bill
- Black mask
- Weak whitish supercilium
Sexes similar. Females are duller and paler overall. Juveniles are as females but slightly more yellow-ochre below.
Similar species
Distinguished from similar White-tailed Nuthatch by lack of white in central tail feathers, much paler underparts and longer and heavier bill.
Distribution
Found in northeast Afghanistan, northern Pakistan and in the western Himalayas of India to northwest Nepal. Patchily distributed.
A restricted-range species but locally common.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species, which has in the past been considered a part of Eurasian Nuthatch.
Forms a superspecies with Eurasian Nuthatch, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch and Chestnut-vented Nuthatch.
Habitat
Coniferous, mixed and deciduous forest.
Recorded at 1800 to 3050m.
Behaviour
Feeds on insects, spiders and in winter on seeds and nuts.
Seen singly or in pairs, in winter in mixed-species flocks.
Breeding season from April to June. The nest is placed in a tree hole (often an abandoned woodpecker hole). The entrance is often reduced with wet mud. Lays 5 to 7 eggs.
A resident species with some altitudinal movements.
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2008. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 13: Penduline-tits to Shrikes. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553453
- Rasmussen, PC and JC Anderton. 2005. Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334672
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Kashmir Nuthatch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 30 January 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Kashmir_Nuthatch
