White-bellied treepie
| White-bellied treepie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Corvidae |
| Genus: | Dendrocitta |
| Species: | D. leucogastra |
| Binomial name | |
| Dendrocitta leucogastra Gould, 1833[2] | |
 | |
The white-bellied treepie (Dendrocitta leucogastra) is a bird of the crow family endemic to the forests of southern India. They overlap in distribution in some areas with the rufous treepie but are easily to tell apart both from appearance and call.
Description
The white of the head and body makes it easy to distinguish from the sympatric rufous treepie. This tends to be found in more dense forest and is less associated with human habitation than the rufous treepie.[3]
When calling, the bird bows and droops its wings. Several birds may arrive at one tree and call repeatedly during the pre-monsoon breeding season (mainly April–May but some nests from February). The nest is a platform of twigs on a medium sized tree. Three eggs are laid, ashy grey with green and grey blotches.[4][5]
It is associated with mixed-species foraging flocks and is often found along with greater racket-tailed drongos.[3]
Distribution
It is found in the forests of the Western Ghats mainly south of Goa.[6] A record from Erimalai near Dharmapuri[7] and reports from the Surat Dangs and the southeastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh stand outside its main distribution range. A record from central India (Chikalda, Gawilgarh[5]) has been questioned.[3]
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From Manamboli, Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, Anamalais, Valparai, Tamil Nadu, India
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From Manamboli, Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, Anamalais, Valparai, Tamil Nadu, India
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Dendrocitta leucogastra". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ↑ Gould, J. (1835). "X. On a new Genus in the Family of Corvidae". Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 1: 87–90. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1835.tb00606.x.
- 1 2 3 Rasmussen, PC & JC Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Volume 2. Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions. p. 596.
- ↑ Hume, A O (1889). The Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds. Volume 1. R H Porter, London. p. 22.
- 1 2 Baker, ECS (1922). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Birds. Volume 1 (2 ed.). Taylor and Francis, London. pp. 51–52.
- ↑ Daniels, R J Ranjit, NV Joshi & Madhav Gadgil (1992). "On the relationship between bird and woody plant species diversity in the Uttara Kannada district of south India" (PDF). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 89 (12): 5311–5315. doi:10.1073/pnas.89.12.5311. PMC 49281. PMID 11607298.
- ↑ Daniels, R.J.R. & MV Ravikumar (1997). "Birds of Erimalai". Newsletter for Birdwatchers 37 (5): 80–82.