Blue nuthatch
| Blue nuthatch | |
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| Blue Nuthatch, Sitta azurea, at Cibodas Botanical Garden, Java, Indonesia | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Sittidae |
| Genus: | Sitta |
| Species: | S. azurea |
| Binomial name | |
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Sitta azurea Lesson, 1830 |
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| Synonyms | |
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• Callisitta azurea (Lesson, 1830) |
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• Callisitta azurea (Lesson, 1830)
• Poliositta azurea (Lesson, 1830)
• Dendrophila flavipes (Swainson, 1838)
• Sitta flavipes (Swainson, 1838)
The blue nuthatch (Sitta azurea) is a bird species in the Sittidae family, collectively known as nuthatches. It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring 13.5 cm (5.3 in) in length. The species, which lacks sexual dimorphism, has dramatic coloration unlike any other member of its genus. Its head is black or blackish-blue dark blue upper parts close to purple with azure feathers. The wings are edged with black. The throat and chest are white or a washed buff color, contrasting with the upper and the belly of a very dark blue; the feathers are generally clear, blue-gray or purplish.
The blue nuthatch is found in the Malay Peninsula and in Indonesia, on the islands of Sumatra and Java, inhabiting subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests above 900 m (3,000 ft) in altitude. Its ecology is poorly known, but it feeds on small invertebrates found on trees; reproduction takes place from April to June or July.
Three subspecies are distinguished: S. a. expectata, S. a. nigriventer and S. a. azurea, which vary chiefly in the coloring of their mantles, chests and bellies. The species' apparent closest relatives are the velvet-fronted nuthatch (S. frontalis), the yellow-billed nuthatch (S. solangiae) and the sulphur-billed nuthatch (S. oenochlamys). The population of the species has not been rigorously estimated but the species appears to be at low risk of extinction because of the extent of its distribution. It has been classified as of Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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