- Sitta castanea
Includes: Indian Nuthatch and Burmese Nuthatch
Identification
13cm
- Grey upperparts
- Rufous belly and underparts
- Black eyestripe
- Dark iris
- Grey bill and legs
Distribution
Asia: found in China, Tibet, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Eastern and Western Himalayas, Bangladesh and Bhutan.
Southeast Asia: Indochina, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 6 subspecies[1], split by some authorites into three species:
- Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch - Sitta cinnamoventris
- S. c. almorae:
- S. c. cinnamoventris:
- Eastern Himalayas (eastern Nepal to north-western Yunnan and Arunachal Pradesh)
- S. c. koelzi:
- South-eastern Arunachal Pradesh to Assam and adjacent north-western Myanmar
- S. c. tonkinensis:
- Indian Nuthatch - Sitta castanea
- S. c. castanea:
- Foothills of northern and central India (Western Ghats)
- Burmese Nuthatch (or Neglected Nuthatch) - Sitta neglecta
- S. c. neglecta:
- Myanmar to south-eastern Yunnan, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, southern Vietnam
An additional subspecies prateri is not recognised by all authorities[2].
Forms a superspecies with Eurasian Nuthatch, Chestnut-vented Nuthatch and Kashmir Nuthatch.
Habitat
Moist lowland and hill forests.
Behaviour
Breeding
It nests in a hole or crevice.
Diet
The diet includes insects, nuts and seeds.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Avibase
- Wikipedia
- Wapedia
- 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
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 15 June 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Chestnut-bellied_Nuthatch
