The white-bellied treepie (''Dendrocitta leucogastra'') is a bird of the

crow A crow is a bird of the genus '' Corvus'', or more broadly a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. Crows are generally black in colour. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not pinned scientifica ...

family endemic to the forests of southern India. They overlap in distribution in some areas with the rufous treepie but are easy 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. The white-bellied treepie is long. The back of the neck is white, and the throat and breast are black. The thighs are black, and the undertail coverts are chestnut. The rest of the underparts is white. The back is chestnut-brown. The wings are black and have a white patch. The rump is white. Two-thirds of the two central tail feathers are silver-grey, and the terminal third is black. The other tail feathers are black. The beak is black, and the legs are greyish-black.

Distribution

It is found in the forests of the Western Ghats mainly south of Goa. A record from Erimalai near Dharmapuri 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) has been questioned.

Behaviour and ecology

The white-bellied treepie eats fruits, seeds, nectar, invertebrates, reptiles, rodents, nestlings and eggs. When calling, the bird bows and droops its wings. Several birds may arrive at one tree and call repeatedly during the pre-

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

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. It is associated with

mixed-species foraging flock A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species that join each other and move together while foraging. These ar ...

s and is often found along with greater racket-tailed drongos.

Gallery

File:DendrocittaLeucogastra.jpg, Illustration by

John Gould John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English ornithologist. He published a number of monographs on birds, illustrated by plates produced by his wife, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists, including Edward Lear, ...

attached to his species description File:White-bellied treepie (Dendrocitta leucogastra).jpg, Close-up File:White-bellied Treepie (5800207678).jpg, In Thattekad Bird Sanctuary File:WhiteBelliedTreePie.jpg, Dorsal view, in Parambikulam Tiger Reserve

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1591852 white-bellied treepie Birds of South India Endemic birds of India white-bellied treepie