Blue nuthatch

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Blue nuthatch
Blue nuthatch at Cibodas Botanical Garden, Java, Indonesia

Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sittidae
Genus: Sitta
Species:
S. azurea
Binomial name
Sitta azurea
Lesson
, 1830
Blue nuthatch range
Synonyms[2]

 • Callisitta azurea (Lesson, 1830)
 • Poliositta azurea (Lesson, 1830)
 • Dendrophila flavipes (Swainson, 1838)
 • Sitta flavipes (Swainson, 1838)

The blue nuthatch (Sitta azurea) is a bird

covert feathers
are generally clear, blue-gray or purplish.

The blue nuthatch's ecology is poorly known, but it feeds on small

montane forest
above 900 m (3,000 ft) in altitude.

Three

least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
.

Taxonomy

The blue nuthatch was first described in 1830 under its current

subgenera,[fn. 1] of which the blue nuthatch is placed alone in Poecilositta (Buturlin 1916).[8]

The nuthatches constitute a

Sittidae,[9] typified by short, compressed wings and short, square 12-feathered tails, a compact body, longish pointed bills, strong toes with long claws, and behaviorally, by their unique head-first manner of descending tree trunks. Most nuthatches have gray or bluish upperparts and a black eyestripe.[10] In 2006, ornithologist Edward C. Dickinson Proposed splitting Sitta in multiple genera on the basis of distinct morphological traits. He suggested as candidates the velvet-fronted nuthatch (Sitta frontalis) and the blue nuthatch, the morphology of which he describes as "rather aberrant ... in spite of a character trait (white edges to wing feathers) shared with Sitta formosa", and that doing so might, in turn, require the beautiful nuthatch (S. formosa) to be split off as well. He stated, however, that a molecular study would be warranted prior to any re-classification.[11][12]

In 2014, Eric Pasquet and colleagues published a

phylogeny based on examination of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA of 21 nuthatch species.[fn. 2] The position of the blue nuthatch within the genus was not established with certainty, having a far lower correlation than many others in the model. Nevertheless, under the findings the species appears best represented by a clade comprising the velvet-fronted nuthatch and the sulphur-billed nuthatch (S. oenochlamys). These tropical Asian nuthatches are themselves a sister clade to one comprising the subgenus Sitta (Micrositta) (sometimes called the canadensis group), along with the brown-headed nuthatch (S. pusilla) and the pygmy nuthatch (S. pygmaea).[10][13]

Phylogenetic tree detail
Nuthatch phylogenic detail according to Pasquet, et al. (2014):[10]

Subspecies

There are three recognized subspecies of the blue nuthatch.[14]

Description

The blue nuthatch is a medium-sized nuthatch that has an average length of 13.5 cm (5.3 in). The weight is not known,[18] but may be comparable to the Algerian nuthatch (Sitta ledanti), which also measures 13.5 cm (5.3 in) long, and weighs between 16.6 g (0.59 oz) and 18 g (0.63 oz).[19] Its appearance differs significantly from all other nuthatches. All of its subspecies are broadly black and white[20] (especially when viewed in low-light conditions in which their dark blue coloring is not apparent) and have upper plumage shot through with dramatic notes of cobalt, azure and other lighter shades of blue, as well as grays and purples. The head is black, or blackish-blue with a broad, pale blue eye ring.[21][22]

The three subspecies vary predominantly in the coloring of their mantles, chests and bellies. The upperparts are dark blue at the mantle or purplish in some subspecies. The

rectrices, which are the tail's flight feathers, are pale blue in the middle with a black border and contrast sharply with the dark areas of the coat. The throat and breast are white, or washed buff, especially in S. a. nigriventer. The belly and abdomen are blackish, contrasting with blue-gray or purplish coverts. The bill is lavender, slightly tinged with green, and black at the tip; the legs are a pale blue-gray and the claws are slate or black.[21][22]

The species displays no significant

moult before the breeding season (February–March for S. a. expectata; March–April for S. a. azurea) involving the throat, chest and mantle; a complete moult takes place after the breeding season (March–April and August in Java in Malaysia).[22]

Vocalizations

Dickcissel male perched on a metal pole singing, with neck stretched and beak open.

Songs and calls
Listen to Sitta azurea on xeno-canto

The species' vocalizations include a melodious tup or tip, a sudden whit, a thin hissing sit, and a fuller, harder, and more forceful chit. When excited, sit and chit notes are frequently given quickly and repetitively as a chi-chit, chit-chit-chit or chir-ri-rit, which can be prolonged, accelerated into staccato trilling tititititititik, or even becoming a rattling tr-r-r-r-r-r-t. Other calls include a thin, squeaking zhe and zhe-zhe, a squeaky toy-like nasal snieu or kneu, and a buzzy chirr-u. The vocal repertoire of the blue nuthatch is quite varied and is reminiscent of the velvet-fronted nuthatch and, to a lesser extent, the sulphur-billed nuthatch.[12]

Behavior and ecology

A blue nuthatch of subspecies S. a. expectata foraging in a tree, Fraser's Hill, Malaysia

The blue nuthatch is very active, often seen running in pairs,[23] in larger groups, or mingling in mixed-species foraging flocks.[24]

Diet

The blue nuthatch feeds on

arthropods, of which some have been particularly identified as common in its diet, including Trachypholis beetles, click beetles, Eumolpinae leaf beetles, spiders, and moth caterpillars.[25] It typically forages for prey in the upper half of large trees, and occasionally in smaller trees.[24] While prospecting on tree trunks, the bird protects its corneas from falling bark and other debris by contracting the bare skin around its eyes – an adaptation apparently unique to the species.[26]

Breeding

The breeding of the species has not been extensively studied. The nest is made in a small tree hole in which it lays three to four dirty-white eggs, washed in lavender and densely speckled with reddish-brown and gray, that measure 19.3 mm × 13.4 mm (0.76 in × 0.53 in). In Peninsular Malaysia, juveniles just reaching maturity were observed in late June; on the island of Java, the breeding season takes place from April to July, and on Sumatra an adult feeding its young was observed on May 9.[24]

Predation

Little has been specifically reported on blue nuthatch predators, but one individual was seen to freeze during the passage of a prospecting black eagle (Ictinaetus malayensis).[23]

Distribution and habitat

Mount Benom in the state of Pahang, on Mount Tahan located at the Pahang-Kelantan border, on Mount Rabong in Kelantan and at Mount Padang in the Sultanate of Terengganu.[24]

In Sumatra, the bird is found throughout the Barisan Mountains, and has been observed in the Gayo Highlands of Aceh province, the Batak Highlands of northern Sumatra, and at Dempo in the south of the island.[24] In a 1918 expedition by Robinson and Kloss, they commented: "from the commencement of heavy jungle on the valley slopes up to about 8,000 feet on Korinchi Peak this strikingly coloured little Nuthatch was very common, feeding on tall tree trunks in parties of six or seven."[27]

The blue nuthatch is typically found on mountains, inhabiting

montane forest. In Malaysia, it is found from 1,070 m (3,510 ft) to the highest point in the country at 2,186 m (7,172 ft). In Sumatra, the species has been reported at an altitudinal range of between 900 m (3,000 ft)[24] and 2,400 m (7,900 ft),[24] and on Java, between 915 m (3,002 ft) and 2,745 m (9,006 ft). Ornithologist John MacKinnon has reported some rare sightings at lower altitudes on the plains of Java.[28]

Threats and protection

The blue nuthatch is a common bird in Sumatra, including in the area of

least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.[1]

Footnotes

  1. ^
    Being Callisitta, Poecilositta, Oenositta, Sitta, Mesositta, Micrositta and Leptositta.[8]
  2. ^
    The 21 species are out of 24 recognized as making up the genus by Harrap and Quinn as of 1996. Of these, the study omitted the Indian nuthatch (Sitta castanea), the yellow-billed nuthatch (Sitta solangiae) and the white-browed nuthatch (Sitta victoriae). The International Ornithological Congress however recognized 28 species as of 2012, based on the elevation of four taxa from subspecies to full species status, including Przevalski's nuthatch (S. przewalskii) and three species from the europaea group.[10]

Citations

  1. ^
    doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22711225A94284706.en
    . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Dickinson, Edward C.; Loskot, Edward C.; Loskot, Vladimir M.; Morioka, Hiroyuki; Somadikarta, Soekarja (2000). "Systematic notes on Asian birds. 66. Types of the Sittidae and Certhiidae". Zoologische Mededelingen (80): 287–310.
  3. ^
    OCLC 768399957
    .
  4. ISBN 0-8165-2149-2
    .
  5. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4
    .
  6. ^ Matthysen 2010, p. 4.
  7. ^ " Entry for 'Nuthatch' ". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  8. ^ a b Matthysen 2010, p. 269–270.
  9. ISBN 978-0-679-45123-5
    .
  10. ^
    S2CID 17637707
    .
  11. ISSN 0024-0672
    .
  12. ^
    doi:10.2173/bow.sittid1.01
    .
  13. S2CID 216391261
    . Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  14. ^ a b c d e "Nuthatches, Wallcreeper, treecreepers, mockingbirds, starlings & oxpeckers". Version 6.4. International Ornithological Congress (IOC) World Bird List. October 22, 2016. Family Sittidae. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016.
  15. OCLC 761190665
    .
  16. ^ Robinson, Herbert Christopher; Kloss, Cecil Boden (1919). "New subspecies of Malay birds: Poliositta azurea nigiventer". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. XL. British Ornithologists' Club: 17.
  17. OCLC 700480502. Archived from the original
    on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-05-14.
  18. ^ Harrap 1996, p. 169.
  19. ^ Harrap 1996, pp. 135–138.
  20. ^ Harrap 1996, pp. 48–49.
  21. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4262-0403-6
    .
  22. ^ a b c Harrap 1996, pp. 168–169.
  23. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7136-6534-5
    .
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h Harrap 1996, p. 168.
  25. ^ Becking, J. H. (1989). "Diets of Javanese birds". In Brill Archive (ed.). Henri Jacob Victor Sody (1892-1959): His Life and Work: a Biographical and Bibliographical Study. p. 209.
  26. S2CID 38854629
    .
  27. ^
    OCLC 15726954
    .
  28. ^ Parks, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4 0 International Thai National. "Sitta azurea, Blue nuthatch". Thai National Parks.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ a b Ekstrom, Jonathan; Butchart, Stuart. "Blue Nuthatch - BirdLife Species Factsheet". BirdLife International. Retrieved May 12, 2014.

Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sitta azurea.
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