Rufous treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda) complete detail

Rufous treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda) complete detail – updated. Description of Rufous treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda). Classification of Rufous treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda). Local name of Rufous treepie is Bhera, Mahtab, Mootri. Habit and habitat of  Rufous treepie. The Tree-Pie is a bird of open forest. 

The upper parts are rufescent-brown turning orange-buff on upper tail coverts. The head, neck and breast are a deep slate-grey color, sometimes slightly brownish. The underparts and lower back are a warm tawny-brown to orange-brown in color with white wing coverts and black primaries. The tail is a light bluish-grey with a thick black band on the tip. The bill is blackish-grey. The eyes are deep red to reddish-brown. Legs and feet are dark grey………………

Tree-Pies are omnivorous. The nesting and breeding season extends from February to July. The nest, well concealed by foliage, is placed near the top of a tree, not necessarily a high one. 

In structure it is of the crow tyjxj, a deep platform of twigs often thorny with the cup well lined with finer twigs and rootlets. Both adults build the nest, a rather small and flimsy cup made with thin thorny twigs. The inner cup is lined with rootlets and small twigs.

Click here to view State wise list of Indian state birds (symbols) – updated

Description

Local name of Rufous treepie is Bhera, Mahtab, Mootri. Size of Rufous treepie is between 45 cm to 55 cm including the tail. The Weight of adult is between 80 g. to 140 g. The adult of nominate race has sooty blackish head, breast and upper mantle, with darker face and throat. The upper parts are rufescent-brown turning orange-buff on upper tail coverts. The head, neck and breast are a deep slate-grey color, sometimes slightly brownish. On the upper wing, secondary wing-coverts and tertials are silvery-grey, contrasting with the black rest of wing.

The long graduated tail is pale grey with wide terminal band. The broad black tips of the longest tail feathers and the grayish-white wing-coverts are particularly conspicuous on the wing. The underparts and lower back are a warm tawny-brown to orange-brown in color with white wing coverts and black primaries. The tail is a light bluish-grey with a thick black band on the tip. The bill is blackish-grey. The eyes are deep red to reddish-brown. Legs and feet are dark grey.

Classification

Common Name – Rufous treepie

Local Name – Bhera, Mahtab, Mootri

Zoological Name – Dendrocitta vagabunda

Kingdom – Animalia

Phylum – Chordata

Class – Aves

Order – Passeriformes

Family – Corvidae

Genus – Dendrocitta

Conservational Status – Schedule – IV, according to wildlife (Protection) act, 1972 and classified as Least Concern (LC) by the IUCN.

Distribution

Rufous treepie resident in Pakistan, Indian Subcontinent, islands, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, S Annam and Cochinchina. India up to the Himalayas, and southeasterly in a broad band into Burma, Laos and Thailand.

Habit and habitat

The Tree-Pie is a bird of open forest. It often frequents wooded country, dry forest, mixed deciduous forest and scrub jungle near towns and villages and freely enters compounds and gardens. They have a wide repertoire of calls, some harsh and guttural, others quite melodious. The term bob-o-link is a more or less faithful syllabification of one of their pleasanter calls.

Tree-Pies are omnivorous. They feed on Insects, caterpillars, lizards, frogs, centipedes, young birds, small birds, rodents, bats, snakes, frogs, lizards, Fruits both wild and cultivated are eaten. They also hunt systematically for birds’ nests and are highly destructive to the eggs and young of the smaller species.

The Rufous Treepie has distinctive dipping flight during which each dip ends in upwards jerk. The flight is undulating a swift noisy flapping, followed by a short glide on outspread wings and tail.

Click here to view State wise list of Indian state animals (symbols) – updated

The nesting and breeding season extends from February to July. The nest, well concealed by foliage, is placed near the top of a tree, not necessarily a high one. In structure it is of the crow tyjxj, a deep platform of twigs often thorny with the cup well lined with finer twigs and rootlets.

The Rufous Treepie breeds solitary. Both adults build the nest, a rather small and flimsy cup made with thin thorny twigs. The inner cup is lined with rootlets and small twigs. It is placed at about 5 to 8 meters above the ground in isolated or prominent tree or in bush. The female lays 3-6 pale greenish or bright reddish-brown eggs with darker markings. Both sexes share in building, incubation and care of the young.