White-tailed Nuthatch (Sitta himalayensis)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

White-tailed Nuthatch

Sitta himalayensis Jardine & Selby, 1835

≈13 cmLength14 gWeight

This small nuthatch is about 12 cm in body length, with pale orange-yellow underparts, a small bill and a black eyestripe.

Busiest months: April · Most records: India, Nepal, Bhutan

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Broad black eyestripe, widening behind the eye
  2. Pale orange-yellow underparts
  3. Bright rusty undertail-coverts without markings
  4. Small bill

Where and when it's recorded

White-tailed Nuthatch has been recorded at 109 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 6 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. PangotIndia565 records
  2. Mt. PhulchowkiNepal434 records
  3. SattalIndia242 records
More places
  1. Mt. Phulchowki - Lowest Few Miles of RoadNepal230 records
  2. Munsyari – Bheema WodeyarIndia185 records
  3. Dochula – Royal Botanical ParkBhutan176 records
  4. Yongkhola campBhutan153 records
  5. Lingmethang Rd – Namling mid-elevation forestBhutan79 records
  6. PelelaBhutan72 records
  7. TrongsaBhutan71 records

Countries and regions with the most records

IndiaNepalBhutanChinaMyanmar (Burma)Laos

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The white-tailed nuthatch (Sitta himalayensis) is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It ranges across the northern and northeastern parts of the Indian subcontinent, existing mainly in the low-to-middle Himalayas, as well as associated mountain ranges. It is found in Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Tibet and Thailand.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the White-tailed Nuthatch?

The White-tailed Nuthatch is about ≈13 cm long and weighs around 14 g.

Where does the White-tailed Nuthatch live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: Himalayas to northwestern Vietnam. It is most often recorded in India, Nepal and Bhutan.

When is the best time to see the White-tailed Nuthatch?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the White-tailed Nuthatch endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the White-tailed Nuthatch as Least Concern.

What does the White-tailed Nuthatch eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the White-tailed Nuthatch in?

It belongs to the family Nuthatches (Sittidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
≈13 cm
Weight
14 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
72 mm
Tail
38 mm
Bill
16 mm
Tarsus
18 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: Himalayas to northwestern Vietnam

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Nuthatches Sittidae
Genus
Sitta

Other birds in the genus Sitta

White-cheeked NuthatchWhite-cheeked NuthatchSitta leucopsisPrzevalski's NuthatchPrzevalski's NuthatchSitta przewalskiiGiant NuthatchGiant NuthatchSitta magnaWhite-breasted NuthatchWhite-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensisBeautiful NuthatchBeautiful NuthatchSitta formosaBlue NuthatchBlue NuthatchSitta azureaVelvet-fronted NuthatchVelvet-fronted NuthatchSitta frontalisYellow-billed NuthatchYellow-billed NuthatchSitta solangiaeSulphur-billed NuthatchSulphur-billed NuthatchSitta oenochlamysPygmy NuthatchPygmy NuthatchSitta pygmaeaBrown-headed NuthatchBrown-headed NuthatchSitta pusillaBahama NuthatchBahama NuthatchSitta insularis
White-tailed Nuthatch

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Rejoice Gassah. ↗

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