From Opus

Photo by rimnahm
Thung Yai Naresuan wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand

Alternative name: Velvet-fronted Blue Nuthatch

Sitta frontalis

[edit] Identification

12.5cm. A medium-small nuthatch.

• Bright red bill
• Velvety black patch on forehead
• Narrow black supercilium
• Depp violet-blue upperparts
• Whitish throat and breast
• Buff underparts

Females are similar but they lack the black supercilium. Juveniles are like adults but with a black bill.

[edit] Distribution

From India east to Burma, Thailand, Indochina, southern China, Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo, Java and the southernmost islands of the Philippines.
Common in parts of its range.

[edit] Taxonomy

Sometimes with Yellow-billed Nuthatch and Sulphur-billed Nuthatch placed in the genus Oenositta. May form a superspecies with this two species.
Five subspecies recognized:

• S. f. frontalis in peninsular India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, southern China, Burma, Thailand and Indochina
• S. f. saturatior on the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Bangka
• S. f. corallipes on Borneo
• S. f. palawana on Palawan and Balabac in the western Philippines
• S. f. velata on Java

[edit] Habitat

Forests. Found in tropical rainforest, semi-evergreen hill forest, deciduous forest, pine forest and also in plantations.
Generally in lowlands but also in hills and up to 2200m.

[edit] Behaviour

Feeds on insects and spiders.
Frequents the canopy and middle story in small noisy parties or sometimes solitarily, rapidly moving up and down tree trunks while foraging. Often in mixed species flocks.
The nest is placed in a hole in a dead branch or a tree trunk, 1 to 12m above the ground. Lays 2 to 6 eggs.
A resident species. Probably some altitudinal movements.

[edit] References

1. 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
2. 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

• List of references

[edit] External Links