Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda Scientific name definitions

46–50 cm; 90–130 g. Distinctive large treepie with long, strongly graduated tail, central feather pair somewhat broadening towards tip, rather short bill with strongly curved culmen and cutting edges. Nominate race has entire head to breast and upper mantle sooty blackish, blackest on face and throat; upperparts ginger-brown, paling to orange-buff on uppertail-coverts; secondary upperwing-coverts and tertials silvery grey, contrasting with black of rest of wing; central tail feathers light silvery grey, shading paler towards tip, and ending in wide black terminal band, remainder of tail feathers similar but progressively shorter, outermost (shortest) with terminal half black; lower underparts buffy rufous, paling to orange-buff on undertail-coverts; iris red or reddish-brown; bill and legs blackish-grey. Sexes similar. Juvenile has hood and mantle uniformly brown, rump, uppertail-coverts and underparts creamy buff, black areas of wings browner than adult and wingpanel pale grey with rusty-cream tinges, tail feathers (except central pair) with narrow rusty tips; first-year aged by retained worn, brown primaries. Races vary mainly in size and colour saturation, but complicated by clinal intergrading: <em>bristoli</em> is largest and longest-tailed, close to nominate in colour; behni is second largest and rather paler than previous, with greyish-buff belly and vent, ochre-buff mantle and scapulars, and cinnamon rump; <em>parvula</em> is smallest and most richly coloured race, with dark rufous-brown upperparts; pallida is similar in size to nominate, colours are paler but brighter, with belly almost creamy buff; sclateri has darker upperparts than nominate, nape and mantle colours diffusing; kinneari is similar to previous, but darker; saturatior is a little smaller and the darkest of all, with very dark reddish-brown upperparts; sakeratensis resembles nominate, but has darker nape.

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Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Open deciduous woodland of all kinds, from dry forest to moist broadleaf woodlands. Open agricultural country with scattered trees, town and city parks, large gardens and the like. Chiefly in lowlands, also in low hills, ascending as high as 2100 m.

Sedentary.

Omnivorous, but primarily carnivorous. Recorded items include large variety of insects and their larvae, such as crickets and grasshoppers (Orthoptera), beetles (Coleoptera), moths (Lepidoptera), wasps and ants (Hymenoptera) and termites (Isoptera), also spiders (Araneae), centipedes (Chilopoda) and snails (Gastropoda); equally diverse variety of small vertebrates, including contents of bird nests, small birds, small rodents, small bats, small snakes, frogs and lizards. Recorded as killing sickly small birds, e.g. Indian Robin (Saxicoloides fulicatus), Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius), Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus) and Purple Sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus), and seen to tear open nests of weaver-birds to reach contents. Scavenges about villages for kitchen waste; feeds on carrion (roadkills), and even scavenges at tiger (Panthera tigris) kills. Very fond of wild figs (Ficus), including banyan and peepul, and variety of other fruits including neem (Melia) and the poisonous Trichosanthes palmata; raids orchards for cultivated fruits, especially figs, also mulberries and papaya. Visits flowering Bombax and Erythrina trees for nectar at appropriate season. Can be remarkably confiding about tourist attractions, even taking food from the hand at picnics. Usually in pairs or small family groups, although larger gatherings at exceptional food sources, such as swarming winged termites. Readily follows mixed-species groups of larger forest birds, especially Greater Racquet-tailed Drongos (Dicrurus paradiseus) and various woodpeckers (Picidae), nimbly catching moths or other insects disturbed from tree trunks or leaf litter by those species. Rides on backs of both domestic and wild large mammals, feeding on ectoparasites and anything that may be disturbed from underfoot. Forages on ground, with tail held raised, moving in short hops.

Advertising call difficult to describe, but one of most familiar sounds of Indian countryside, a loud, ringing, almost metallic "ko-kí-la" ; another frequently heard call is a raucous chatter, similar to that of Pica pica but harsher and slower in delivery. Otherwise has wide vocabulary of various harsh notes, squawks and musical sounds, many of which shared by congeners.

Season varies according to rains, generally Mar–Jul, but mostly May–Jun in N India and Mar–Apr in S (Kerala). Solitary breeder. Nest built by both sexes, rather small for size of bird, a flimsy cup of thin, usually thorny twigs, lined with rootlets and smaller twigs, typically 6–8 m above ground, often in quite exposed position in often isolated or prominent tree such as sheesham (Dalbergia), acacia (Acacia), mango (Mangifera) or salai (Boswellia). Both sexes build nest, feed young, and are said to share incubation but this requires confirmation. Clutch 2–6 eggs, usually 4 or 5 (average in India larger in N than in S); incubation said to shared by sexes, but confirmation required; both parents feed the young; no information on duration of incubation and nestling periods.

Not globally threatened. Generally common and widespread throughout most of range; quite localized and uncommon in E, e.g. in Vietnam. The treepie most likely to be encountered in semi-open country, dry forest and farmland over most of Indian Subcontinent. A very adaptable species, omnivorous, and successful in its survival strategies of living alongside humans . Although reported as causing some damage to orchards and cereal crops, its diet includes high percentage of insects, many of which are detrimental to food crops; seems likely that any harm that it does is far outweighed by the quantity of insect pests that it consumes.