The rufous treepie (''Dendrocitta vagabunda'') is a
treepie, native to the
Indian Subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
and adjoining parts of
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
. It is a member of the
crow family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
,
Corvidae. It is long tailed and has loud musical calls making it very conspicuous. It is found commonly in open scrub, agricultural areas, forests as well as urban gardens. Like other corvids it is very adaptable, omnivorous and opportunistic in feeding.
Description
The sexes are alike and the main colour of the body is cinnamon with a black head and the long graduated tail is bluish grey and is tipped in black. The wing has a white patch. The only confusable species is the
grey treepie
The grey treepie (''Dendrocitta formosae''), also known as the Himalayan treepie, is an Asian treepie, a medium-sized and long-tailed member of the Corvidae, crow family (biology), family. The species was Species description, first described by R ...
which however lacks the bright rufous mantle. The bill is stout with a hooked tip. The underparts and lower back are a warm tawny-brown to orange-brown in colour with white wing coverts and black primaries. The bill, legs and feet are black.
The widespread populations show variations and several subspecies are recognized. The nominate subspecies is found in the northeastern part of peninsular India south to Hyderabad. The desert form is paler and called ''pallida'', ''vernayi'' of the Eastern Ghats is brighter while ''parvula'' of the Western Ghats is smaller in size.
[ The form in Afghanistan and Pakistan is ''bristoli'' while the form in southern Thailand is ''saturatior''. ]E. C. Stuart Baker
Edward Charles Stuart Baker CIE OBE FZS FLS (1864 – 16 April 1944) was a British ornithologist and police officer. He catalogued the birds of India and produced the second edition of the ''Fauna of British India'' which included the introd ...
describes ''sclateri'' from the upper Chindwin to the Chin Hills and ''kinneari'' from southern Myanmar and northwest Thailand. The population in eastern Thailand an Indochina is ''sakeratensis''.
Distribution and habitat
The range of the rufous treepie is quite large, covering Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and into Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
, Myanmar
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
, Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...
, and Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
. It inhabits open forest consisting of scrub, plantations and gardens. In the Garhwal Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
, it migrates seasonally between different elevations.
Behaviour and ecology
The rufous treepie is primarily an arboreal omnivore feeding on fruits, nectar (of ''Bombax ceiba
''Bombax ceiba'', like other trees of the genus ''Bombax'', is commonly known as cotton tree. More specifically, it is sometimes known as Malabar silk-cotton tree; red silk-cotton; red cotton tree; or ambiguously as silk-cotton or kapok, both of ...
'') seeds, invertebrates, small reptiles and the eggs and young of bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
s; it has also been known to take flesh from recently killed carcasses. It is an agile forager, clinging and clambering through the branches and sometimes joining mixed hunting parties along with species such as drongos and babblers. They are known to be a cleaning symbiont of deer, feeding on ectoparasites of sambar which permit them to perch and position themselves to invite the birds to examine specific parts. Like many other corvids, it caches food. It is considered to be beneficial to palm cultivation in southern India due to its foraging on the grubs of the destructive weevil ''Rhynchophorus ferrugineus
The palm weevil ''Rhynchophorus ferrugineus'' is one of two species of snout beetle known as the red palm weevil, Asian palm weevil or sago palm weevil. The adult beetles are relatively large, ranging between long, and are usually a rusty red co ...
''. Its feeds on the fruits of '' Trichosanthes tricuspidata'' which are toxic to mammals.
The breeding season in India is April to June. In Bengal, the peak is in April and May with heightened levels of pineal gland activity and serotonin production. It builds its shallow nest in trees and bushes and usually lays 3-5 eggs.
The rufous treepie has a wide repertoire of calls, but a ''bob-o-link'' or ''ko-tree'' call is most common.[ A local name for this bird ''kotri'' is derived from the typical call while other names include ''Handi Chancha'' and ''taka chor'' (="coin thief").][
A blood parasitic protozoan ''Trypanosoma corvi'' and '']Babesia
''Babesia'', also called ''Nuttallia'', is an apicomplexan parasite that infects red blood cells and is transmitted by ticks. Originally discovered by the Romanian bacteriologist Victor Babeș in 1888, over 100 species of ''Babesia'' have since ...
'' has been reported from this species. Trematode
Trematoda is a class of flatworms known as flukes. They are obligate internal parasites with a complex life cycle requiring at least two hosts. The intermediate host, in which asexual reproduction occurs, is usually a snail. The definitive host ...
parasites, ''Haplorchis vagabundi
''Haplorchis'' is a genus of intestinal flukes in the family Heterophyidae.
Species include:
* ''Haplorchis popelkae''
* ''Haplorchis pumilio''
* ''Haplorchis taichui''
* ''Haplorchis vagabundi
''Haplorchis'' is a genus of intestinal flukes ...
'', have been found in their intestines. An acanthocephalan parasite ''Centrorhynchus lancea'' is also known. A species of quill mite ''Syringophiloidus dendrocittae'' is known to live in the feathers of rufous treepies.
References
External links
Photos and other media
{{Taxonbar, from=Q282256
rufous treepie
The rufous treepie (''Dendrocitta vagabunda'') is a treepie, native to the Indian Subcontinent and adjoining parts of Southeast Asia. It is a member of the crow family, Corvidae. It is long tailed and has loud musical calls making it very conspi ...
Birds of South Asia
Birds of Bangladesh
Birds of Southeast Asia
rufous treepie
The rufous treepie (''Dendrocitta vagabunda'') is a treepie, native to the Indian Subcontinent and adjoining parts of Southeast Asia. It is a member of the crow family, Corvidae. It is long tailed and has loud musical calls making it very conspi ...
rufous treepie
The rufous treepie (''Dendrocitta vagabunda'') is a treepie, native to the Indian Subcontinent and adjoining parts of Southeast Asia. It is a member of the crow family, Corvidae. It is long tailed and has loud musical calls making it very conspi ...
Birds of Myanmar