- Sitta castanea
Identification
13cm (5 in)
- Grey upperparts
- Rufous belly and underparts
- Black eyestripe
- Dark iris
- Grey bill and legs
Distribution
Found in the foothills of northern and central India, locally also in eastern India.
Common in most of its range.
Taxonomy
It was formerly considered conspecific with Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch and Burmese Nuthatch
Forms a superspecies with Eurasian Nuthatch, Chestnut-vented Nuthatch, Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Burmese Nuthatch and Kashmir Nuthatch.
Subspecies
Two subspecies recognized:
prateri is not accepted by all authorities[1].
Habitat
Moist lowland and hill forests.
Behaviour
Breeding
It nests in a hole or crevice.
Diet
The diet includes insects, nuts and seeds.
Forages singly, in pairs or small groups.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- 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
- Avibase
- Wikipedia
- 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) Indian Nuthatch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Indian_Nuthatch
External Links
