Bird Guide

Rufous Treepie vs White-bellied Treepie

Rufous Treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda)

Rufous Treepie

Dendrocitta vagabunda

Medium100 gWoodland

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 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.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Rufous Treepie
Recorded by Jairam Vijayan · Song · Payyavoor, Kannur, Kerala, India · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Aparna · CC BY 4.0
White-bellied Treepie (Dendrocitta leucogastra)

White-bellied Treepie

Dendrocitta leucogastra

Medium99 gForest

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 48 cm (19 in) 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.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Nikhil R R · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Rufous Treepie and White-bellied Treepie.