Dendrocitta bayleii
The Andaman Treepie (Dendrocitta bayleii) is a strikingly beautiful and highly distinctive corvid endemic to the Andaman Islands. This medium-sized treepie, measuring approximately 32-35 cm in length including its exceptionally long tail, boasts a sleek, agile build. Its most defining features include a contrasting black head, throat, and upper breast, sharply set against a rich rufous-chestnut body. The wings are predominantly black with a prominent white patch on the secondary coverts, whil...
Found exclusively in the evergreen and semi-evergreen forests of the Andaman Islands, typically favoring forest edges, clearings, and disturbed areas. It inhabits low to moderate elevations.
Omnivorous, its diet primarily consists of large insects and other invertebrates, as well as a variety of fruits, berries, and seeds. It is also known to prey on small vertebrates, eggs, and nestlings.
The Andaman Treepie is a diurnal and highly arboreal species, often observed singly, in pairs, or small family groups, occasionally joining mixed-species foraging flocks. It exhibits agile movements through the canopy, gleaning insects from foliage and bark, and expertly plucking fruits. While no...
The Andaman Treepie is strictly endemic to the Andaman Islands, an archipelago in the Bay of Bengal, part of India. Its distribution encompasses the major islands, including North, Middle, South, and Little Andaman, where it is a year-round resident. This species does not undertake migratory move...
Near Threatened
- This treepie is a true island endemic, found only on the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal and nowhere else in the world. - Its scientific name honors Sir Edward Clive Bayley, a notable British civil servant and ornithologist from the 19th century. - As a member of the corvid family, it poss...