Collared treepie

Collared treepie
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Corvidae
Genus:	Dendrocitta
Species:	D. frontalis
Binomial name
Dendrocitta frontalis Horsfield, 1840

The collared treepie, black-faced treepie or black-browed treepie (Dendrocitta frontalis) is an Asian treepie, a small perching bird of the crow family, Corvidae.

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 colour. 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 localised) from the north eastern Indian Himalayas, 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

1. BirdLife International (2012). "Dendrocitta frontalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.