From Opus

Photo by Seyed Babak Mus

Alternative name: Persian Nuthatch

Sitta tephronota

[edit] Identification

• Grey upperparts and crown
• White breast
• Buffy underparts
• Dark eye mask
• White lower face and throat
• Grey bill
• Dark iris
• Grey legs and feet

[edit] Distribution

Georgia, India, Iran, Afghanistan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Russia, Turkey, and Turkmenistan.

[edit] Taxonomy

There are 4 subspecies.

[edit] Habitat

Rocky gorges, cliffs and rocks on mountain slopes 400-2000m.

[edit] Behaviour

Both sexes build the nest on rock from clay; the chamber is lined with grass, feathers and hair. 5-7 eggs are laid and incubated by only the female who is fed by the male. Both parents feed the young.

[edit] References

1. Wikipedia
2. Birds of Kazakhstan

[edit] External Links