White-bellied Treepie

Overview

The white-bellied treepie is a bird of the crow family endemic to the forests of southern India. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• A 48 cm long bird with a chestnut-brown back, white head and underparts, and black throat and breast.
• Wings are black with a white patch, and the rump is white.
• Tail feathers are mostly black, but the two central feathers are silver-grey for two-thirds of their length with a black terminal third.
• Black beak and greyish-black legs.
• When calling, the bird bows and droops its wings.

Habitat

Found primarily in the forests of the Western Ghats south of Goa, though scattered records exist in parts of Andhra Pradesh and near Dharmapuri. It tends to favour more dense forest and is less associated with human habitation than the rufous treepie.

Diet

Feeds on a varied diet including fruits, seeds, nectar, invertebrates, reptiles, rodents, nestlings, and eggs. It is often associated with mixed-species foraging flocks, particularly alongside greater racket-tailed drongos.

Did you know?

The species is easily distinguished from the sympatric rufous treepie by its white head and body, whereas the rufous treepie lacks this extensive white plumage.