Collared treepie
The collared treepie (Dendrocitta frontalis), also known as black-faced treepie or black-browed treepie, is an Asian treepie, a small perching bird of the crow family, Corvidae.
| Collared treepie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| In Namdapha National Park, India | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Corvidae |
| Genus: | Dendrocitta |
| Species: | D. frontalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Dendrocitta frontalis Horsfield, 1840 | |
This bird is slightly smaller than a blue jay and has the typical compact body and long tail of this group. The forehead, face and bib are black with the chest, neck and shoulders a light silvery or bluish-grey in color. The back is a warm chestnut brown with similar underparts. The wing coverts are white with the primaries and tail black.
It inhabits a broad band (though often very localized) from the north eastern Indian Himalayas, Bangladesh,[1] Nepal and across into Burma (Myanmar) in hill forests often at quite high elevations.
It feeds mainly on invertebrates of various types, and hawks for termites in flight; it also eats fruits and berries. It probably takes similar overall food types as the other treepies.
The nest is a small, neat structure often placed in bamboo clumps, small trees or bushes at the edge of a clearing. There are usually 3-5 eggs laid.
The voice is described as varied but contains metallic notes as well as the chatter alarm call sounding similar to the other species.
References
- BirdLife International (2018). "Dendrocitta frontalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22705849A130382030. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22705849A130382030.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.