Chestnut-vented Nuthatch

Overview

The chestnut-vented nuthatch (Sitta nagaensis) is a medium-sized bird in the family Sittidae. It is characterised by solid blue-grey upperparts and buff underparts with distinct brick-red flanks.

Identification

• Upperparts are solid blue-grey with a marked black loral line.
• Underparts are pale grey or buff, contrasting with dark brick-red back flanks.
• The undertail is white with a rufous border.
• Song is a monotonous, stereotypical crackle, often described as 'chichichichi'.

Habitat

Found across a wide range from the northeast of India through Tibet and south-central China to eastern Myanmar, northwestern Thailand, and isolated areas in Laos and Vietnam. It mainly inhabits subtropical or tropical moist lowland and montane forests, including evergreen, pine, and occasionally deciduous or mixed forests, at altitudes ranging from 915 m to 4,570 m.

Diet

Although its diet is not fully detailed, the species probably feeds on small arthropods and seeds. It forages on the ground, on rocks, old stumps, and within trees.

Did you know?

Like some other nuthatch species, the chestnut-vented nuthatch may line the entrance of its nest cavity with mud to reduce the opening and protect its brood from predation.