White-tailed Nuthatch Sitta himalayensis Scientific name definitions

12 cm; 11–17 g. A small, dumpy, relatively short-billed nuthatch. Male in fresh plumage (Sept–Apr) has crown to rump dull blue-grey, sometimes crown and especially nape and upper mantle slightly paler; forehead, lores and eyestripe sooty black, expanding broadly on to side of upper mantle, sometimes an indistinct narrow grey-white supercilium just above and behind eye; upperwing dark grey-brown, wing-coverts (including primary coverts) fringed blue-grey, extensively so on outer web of greater coverts, alula fringed blue-grey on outer web, tertials medium grey (tinged blue on outer web), secondaries broadly fringed blue-grey, primaries finely fringed light grey, pale fringes progressively restricted to base of feather towards outer wing; central tail feathers dull blue-grey, slightly darker and greyer along shaft and at tip, basal half of outer web adjacent to shaft white, basal two-thirds of inner web white, other rectrices sooty black, outermost with white diagonal stripe subterminally across feather, next to outermost with large white subterminal spot on inner web; chin, cheek and throat whitish, variably washed buff, grading into cinnamon-orange on upper and rear ear-coverts, upper flanks and breast , and darker and richer orange-cinnamon on belly and flanks to undertail-coverts; axillaries grey-buff, underwing-coverts sooty black, base of under primaries and secondaries (inner webs only) white; in worn plumage, whitish feather bases may show on nape and upper mantle, black eyestripe more extensive, especially at rear (on upper mantle), wings darker and sootier (blue-grey fringes abraded), underparts paler and whiter, may be buff-white on breast and belly; iris brown; bill black or blackish-brown, base of lower mandible bluish-white or grey; legs dark brown, dark greenish-brown or dark yellowish-brown, soles greyish-white. Distinguished from S. victoriae, which likewise has white in central tail feathers, by less boldly patterned head and less contrastingly patterned underparts; from similar S. cashmirensis (which also has uniform undertail-coverts) mainly by white in central rectrices (when visible), smaller size and shorter bill, also by slightly paler underside with less well-defined white throat, cheek and ear-coverts. Female is as male, but ear-coverts and underparts on average slightly paler and duller. Juvenile resembles adult.

NW Himachal Pradesh (Chamba) E in Himalayas to NE India (NE Arunachal Pradesh, also from Nagaland S in hills to S Mizoram) and W & NE Myanmar, also adjacent parts of S China (S Tibet, W Yunnan); also NW Vietnam (Fan Si Pan, in NW Tonkin). Single records from E Myanmar (near Kengtung, in S Shan State) and N Laos (Tranninh Plateau) possibly refer to non-breeding visitors.

Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests. In Himalayas and NE Myanmar middle-altitude oak (Quercus) and rhododendron (Rhododendron) forests, with preference for mossy forest, also at higher altitudes in mixed forests of fir (Abies), hemlock (Tsuga), rhododendron, oak and maple (Acer), although apparently avoids pure stands of conifers; thus, found in oak-rhododendron forest at 1525–2135 m and maple-hemlock forest at 2745–3050 m in Nepal. In NE hill states of India found in broadleaf evergreen forest. Breeds in Himalayas at 1500–3500 m, highest in E, with optimum zone c. 1800–2800 m; in non-breeding season recorded down to 915 m in Nepal, 945 m in Sikkim and 500 m in Bhutan, but also as high as 3050 m in Jan in Nepal and N India (Darjeeling). In NE hills of India found above 1700 m, and in adjacent W Myanmar (Chin Hills) at 1675–2500m; in NE Myanmar at 1525–2900 m (but down to 980 m in winter) and recorded once at 2285m in S Shan State; in S China (W Yunnan) noted at 2000–2745 m; in NW Vietnam from 2000 m to at least 2800 m, and in N Laos at c. 2000 m.

Resident, with seasonal altitudinal movements.

Food insects, also nuts and seeds. Found singly and in pairs, in summer and early autumn also in flocks of up to ten individuals (comprising family parties); often joins mixed-species flocks in non-breeding season. Forages on mossy branches, usually in upper parts of trees, less frequently on trunk; occasionally in low shrubs.

Calls include squeaky single “nit” and soft, mellow “chak” or “tschak”, given singly at irregular intervals; harder and sharper, almost stone-clicking versions may be given in couplet (“chak’kak”) or in short, irregular groups, and may be combined into monotonous rattle in which up to 25 notes at rate of c. 10 per second, “chik’kak’ka’ka’ka’ka’ka…”; in alarm or agitation a similar but louder, shrill (sometimes squeaky) but full “chik”, near-disyllabic “ts’lik” or even shriller “tsik”, often in series which initially quite fast but slow to c. 3 notes per second, and in prolonged series can tail off to maximum of c. 2 notes per second, notes sometimes then becoming shriller “shree” which may be repeated for minutes at a time (these series from agitated bird may be at higher and lower pitches, perhaps reflecting difference between sexes). Duetting by presumed partners, with higher and thinner “tsik” calls and lower but squeaky “chik” notes, in a chatter almost like that of sparrow (Passer). Also gives high-pitched, thin, sibilant “sisirrr” or “sisisit”, variety of fussy twitterings, and strange long, shrill squealing or quavering notes, e.g. “kreeeeeeeeeee” or “preeeeuh”; these may rise or fall in pitch, and last almost 1·5 seconds. Song a rapid repetition of a single note in a trill lasting c. 0·8–1·8 seconds, some fast (up to c. 15 notes per second), some slow (c. 5 per second), varying both among males and within individual male’s repertoire, e.g. slightly querulous or inquisitive series of piercing “pee” notes and slower and much mellower but still loud, whistled “dui-dui-dui…”.

Season mid-Mar to early May in Indian Subcontinent, and probably similar in NE Myanmar. Nest built by female, male occasionally providing material, a pad of green (sometimes dried) moss, mossy fibres and rhododendron leaves, placed 1–15 m above ground in tree cavity, usually in oak; hole if too large may be “plastered” up with mixture of mud and berries, diameter reduced to 25–38 mm, plaster setting rock hard. Clutch 4–7 eggs, white, densely covered with dark red spots and blotches, which may form ill-defined ring at larger end, mean size 18·6 × 13·4 mm; incubation of eggs and feeding of chicks reported as by both sexes; no information on duration of incubation and nestling periods.

Not globally threatened. Common in Himalayas, perhaps occurring at highest densities in E; variously rare, uncommon and fairly common in NE hill states of India, where probably occurs at reduced densities. More or less uncommon in NE Myanmar, and perhaps rare in adjacent W Yunnan (S China). Common in NW Vietnam. Status in Laos unknown, and only one record (of a single flock at Tranninh), also only one record from E Myanmar; both of these possibly refer to non-breeding visitors from N parts of range.