Przevalski's nuthatch
Przevalski's nuthatch | |
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In Gansu, China | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Sittidae |
Genus: | Sitta |
Species: | S. przewalskii
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Binomial name | |
Sitta przewalskii Berezowski & Bianchi, 1891
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Przevalski's nuthatch (Sitta przewalskii), originally given the nomen nudum Sitta eckloni, is a bird species in the family Sittidae, collectively known as nuthatches. Long regarded as a subspecies of the white-cheeked nuthatch (Sitta leucopsis), it nevertheless differs significantly in morphology and vocalizations. Both S. przewalskii and S. leucopsis have been regarded as closely related to the North American white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis). It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring about 13 cm (5 in) in length. Its upper body is a dark gray-blue or slate color, becoming dark blue-black at the crown. The cheeks and throat are a white buff-orange, turning to a rich cinnamon on the underparts that intensifies in color on the sides of the breast. Vocalizations consist of alternating series of ascending whistles and short notes.
The bird is
It was given the rank of full species (separate from the white-cheeked nuthatch) in 2005 in
Taxonomy
The nuthatches constitute a
Sitta is derived from the Ancient Greek name for nuthatches, σίττη, sittē.[7][8] "Nuthatch", first recorded in 1350, is derived from "nut" and a word probably related to "hack", since these birds hack at nuts they have wedged into crevices.[9]
Sitta przewalskii was first scientifically described in 1891 by Russians Mikhail Mikhailovich Berezovsky and Valentin Bianchi[10] based on a single specimen obtained in the Haidong Prefecture, in Eastern Qinghai.[11] The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the Russian explorer Nikolay Przhevalsky,[12] who found the species in Tibet in 1884 and dubbed it Sitta eckloni without providing adequate description, rendering it a nomen nudum.[13][14] Though the primary habitats of Sitta przewalskii and the white-cheeked nuthatch (Sitta leucopsis) are separated from each other by almost 1,500 km (930 mi),[15] Przevalski's nuthatch was described as closely related to the white-cheeked nuthatch, and was thereafter often considered and treated conspecifically, as a subspecies of S. leucopsis.[16][fn. 2]
In 2005,
In explaining this separation of species, Rasmussen points to morphological divergence and significant differences in vocalization.[17] Ornithologist Edward C. Dickinson observed in a 2006 article that though evidence of morphological and vocal differences between S. przewalskii and S. leucopsis have been delineated, little had yet been published presenting comparative morphological details, and that it would be instructive to study how each taxon responds to the calls of the other.[22]
Nuthatches according to Pasquet, et al. (2014):[5]
Sitta
- White-breasted nuthatch (S. carolinensis)
- Giant nuthatch (S. magna)
- Other nuthatches
- Przevalski's nuthatch (S. przewalskii)
The white-cheeked nuthatch, with S. przewalskii subsumed within it, has been regarded as closely related to the North American white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis), which has a similar contact call (though S. carolinensiss's is moderately higher in pitch), and they have sometimes been treated as conspecific. In turn, it has been proposed that the triumvirate of S. przewalskii, S. leucopsis and S. carolinensis could be related to the Sitta canadensis, monophyletic group, corresponding to the subgenus Micrositta, which includes six species of average-sized nuthatches.[fn. 3] The relationships remain very unclear.[3][23][24] A molecular study by Eric Pasquet conducted in 2014 may provide some clarity.[5]
In 2014, Eric Pasquet, et al. published a
Description
Because Sitta przewalskii has long been regarded as a subspecies of the white-cheeked nuthatch, its description has often been made in comparison with it.[16] Though both species lack the black eyestripe typical of other nuthatches, their coloring is distinct, with S. leucopsis being white- or creamy-buff on its throat, cheeks, breast, flanks and belly, where S. przewalskii has varying shades and concentrations of cinnamon. S. przewalskii is also the smaller of the two, and its bill is markedly thinner.[17][25] Males and females of the species are nearly identical in appearance,[26] except for the male's brighter cinnamon coloring.[17]
The area above the eyes, including the forehead, crown and nape, is a deep blue-black, through the top edge of the mantle. The mantle proper is a medium to dark gray-blue as are the tertials and upperwing-coverts, turning to a dark gray at the median, greater and primary coverts and the alula. The secondaries and inner primaries are fringed in gray-blue. The central rectrices are gray-blue, and the outer rectrices are a blackish-gray, paling towards the tips.[4]
The face and surrounding areas, including the lores, supercilium, ear-coverts, cheeks and throat are a white buff-orange.[4][27] Below, the belly and breast are a rich cinnamon, darkening to an orange-cinnamon at the sides of the breast. The rear flanks and undertail-covert feathers are rufous.[4][28] In worn plumage, the color may be uneven in the lower parts and lighter in hue. The upper mandible of the bill is black, and the lower is gray with a black tip. The iris and legs are dark brown.[16] Juveniles of the species resemble adults but for the base of their beaks being yellow, proportionately shorter, and their overall coloring being less vibrant.[4]
Przevalski's nuthatch is a medium-sized bird, measuring about 12.5–13 cm (4.9–5.1 in) in length.[6][16] The folded wing of the male is 72–77 mm (2.8–3.0 in) long and that of the female 69–74 mm (2.7–2.9 in); an average of 4 mm (0.16 in) shorter than the white-cheeked nuthatch. The wingspan is about 22.5 cm (8.9 in). The beak measures 17–17.6 mm (0.67–0.69 in), which is thinner and shorter than that of S. leucopsis, in which the beak is approximately 21 mm (0.83 in) long.[23] The tarsus is 18 mm (0.71 in), and the tail is 43 mm (1.7 in) in length.[16]
Vocalizations and behavior
Sitta przewalskii's territorial calls differ significantly from those of S. leucopsis, whose notes are more nasal, whereas the song of S. przewalskii is in long verses composed of whistles that ascend in pitch, interspersed with short notes.[15] According to the Handbook of the Birds of the World, vocalizations include a "muffled, mellow 'chip' repeated in irregular series...; a loud, emphatic, whistled 'dweep' or 'dweep-eep'; a slightly nasal, querulous 'que', usually repeated 3–5 times...; and thinner 'pee-pee-pee-pee...' or 'seet-seet-seet-seet...' notes on [the] same pitch but slowing towards [the] end of [the] phrase."[4]
In 1950, English naturalist Frank Ludlow reported a description of the bird, as provided to him by Ernst Schäfer who studied an adult male near Litang in 1934. It was characterized as: "one of the shyest and rarest denizens of the conifer forest",[29] and one leading a solitary life, much like nearby populations of three-toed woodpeckers (Picoides tridactylus funebris). By contrast, Ludlow observed the species in southeastern Tibet, probably during the winter, and did not find it particularly reserved. He reports having killed a specimen in a willow tree, far from the species' usual coniferous nesting grounds.[29] The specimen was captured on the outskirts of a forest, on a ridge between two valleys, where it stood on a dead branch from which it launched in pursuit of insects in flight, like a flycatcher.[10][16]
Distribution and habitat
The species is
In Tibet, the species has been found in the northeastern
S. przewalskii inhabits
Threats and protection
Sitta przewalskii is not yet treated as an independent species by
Notes and references
Notes
- ^ Being Callisitta, Poecilositta, Oenositta, Sitta, Mesositta, Micrositta and Leptositta.[3]
- ^
- ^ Being the red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta canadensis), Chinese nuthatch (Sitta villosa), Yunnan nuthatch (Sitta yunnanensis), Krüper's nuthatch (Sitta krueperi), Algerian nuthatch (Sitta ledanti) and Corsican nuthatch (Sitta whiteheadi).[32]
- ^ 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). It treated S. przewalskii as a subspecies of S. leucopsis. 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 and three species from the europaea group.[5]
- ^ According to BirdLife International, the population of S. leucopsis as a whole (i.e., including Przevalski's nuthatch as a subspecies), is "suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction and fragmentation".[31] However, because (as a whole) they have an extensive range and are fairly abundant in parts of India and Pakistan, they do not meet the threshold for a classification as vulnerable.[31]
- ^ The IUCN recommends that care be taken to avoid classing species as data deficient when the absence of records may actually indicate dangerously low abundance: "If the range of a taxon is suspected to be relatively circumscribed, if a considerable period of time has elapsed since the last record of a taxon, or if there are reasonable chances of unreported surveys in which the taxon has not been found, or that habitat loss has had an unfavourable impact, threatened status may well be justified".[33]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-679-45123-5.
- ^ a b c Matthysen 2010, p. 269–270.
- ^ S2CID 243219879.
- ^ S2CID 17637707.
- ^ a b c Harrap 1996, p. 148.
- ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ Matthysen 2010, p. 4.
- ^ "Nuthatch". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-245-17354-4.
- OCLC 605148103.
- ISBN 978-0-7136-6647-2.
- OCLC 1988804.
- OCLC 1377260.
- ^ doi:10.1525/om.2011.70.1.64. Archived from the originalon 2014-03-14. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ^ .
- ^ ISBN 84-87334-66-0.
- ^ Collar, Nigel J.; Pilgrim, John D. (2007). "Species-level changes proposed for Asian birds, 2005–2006" (PDF). Oriental Bird Club. 8. BirdingASIA: 14–30.
- ^ Peterson, Alan P. "World Birds Taxonomic List – 'Passeriformes: Sittidae Lesson 1828'". Zoonomen – Zoological Nomenclature Resource. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ "Przewalski's Nuthatch ('Sitta przewalskii')". The Internet Bird Collection (IBC). Retrieved April 12, 2014.
- ^ a b "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.
- ISSN 0024-0672.
- ^ a b Harrap 1996, p. 150.
- .
- ^ Harrap 1996, p. 148-150.
- OCLC 1642017.
- ^ Harrap 1996, p. 16-17.
- ^ Harrap 1996, p. 149-150.
- ^ .
- ^ a b Harrap 1996, p. 149.
- ^ a b c Ekstrom, Jonathan; Butchart, Stuart. "White-cheeked Nuthatch - BirdLife Species Factsheet". BirdLife International. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
- ^ Matthysen 2010, p. 270.
- ISBN 978-0-470-99934-9.
Bibliography
- Harrap, Simon (1996). Christopher Helm (ed.). Tits, Nuthatches and Treecreepers. Illustrated by David Quinn. ISBN 978-0-7136-3964-3.
- Matthysen, Erik (2010). The Nuthatches. Illustrated by David Quinn. A & C Black. ISBN 978-1-4081-2870-1.
External links
- Data related to Sitta przewalskii at Wikispecies
- Explore Species: Przevalski's Nuthatch at eBird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)