Racket-tailed Treepie

Racket-tailed Treepie

Crypsirina temia

Silhouette: John Gould (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Ho Chi Minh City

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

62 Verified sightings at Ho Chi Minh City
2,481 In all 6 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Racket-tailed Treepie

The racket-tailed treepie (Crypsirina temia) is an Asian treepie, a member of the crow family, Corvidae. It has a velvety-black forehead of short, plush black feathers with the rest of the bird being an oily green colour, though appearing black in dim light. The tail feathers which in this species are long and broaden at the tail's end are black also with a greenish tinge, as are the wings. The iris of the bird is a turquoise-blue darkening towards the pupil to a very deep or near black. The bill, legs and feet are black.

This bird occurs in southern Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Indo-China, Sumatra, Java and Bali in scrub and secondary growth, open fields and gardens, bamboo thickets and open forest often near villages. It almost always feeds in trees (arboreal) never feeding from the ground though coming down to bathe on occasion. It moves through the trees with great agility and uses its remarkable tail as a balancing organ. It eats mainly insects and fruit.

A cup shaped nest is built in bamboo or shrubs especially thorny ones often surrounded by open grassy areas and normally lays 2–4 eggs. The voice is usually described as harsh and unattractive. It has several described calls but a whining call is often heard. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Begging call0:50

Vietnam · 2026

© Ding Li Yong · XC1107622 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:06

Thailand · 2023

© FREDERIC Lionel · XC844337 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:40

Vietnam · 2018

© Jelle Scharringa · XC629394 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~50%
2 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%
3 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~30%
4 Cuc Phuong National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~10%
5 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
6 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Ho Chi Minh City 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~20%
2 Bangkok 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%
3 Phnom Penh 🇰🇭 Cambodia
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens 🇨🇳 China In captivity
2 Edward Youde Aviary 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Racket-tailed Treepie in Ho Chi Minh City?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Racket-tailed Treepie sighting in Ho Chi Minh City on a given day, based on 62 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 27th most-seen of the 103 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Racket-tailed Treepie in Ho Chi Minh City?

June

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Racket-tailed Treepie in Ho Chi Minh City on a given day, against under 5% in December, the lowest month. That is one of Ho Chi Minh City's wettest months, with about 210 mm of rain against 5 mm in February.

What time of day is best to see a Racket-tailed Treepie?

Between 2 and 5 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Racket-tailed Treepie sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.

Is Ho Chi Minh City the best place to see a Racket-tailed Treepie?

Yes

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Racket-tailed Treepie sightings, Ho Chi Minh City has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Bangkok (Thailand, under 5%) and Phnom Penh (Cambodia, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Racket-tailed Treepie live in Ho Chi Minh City?

Same family: Corvidae

The closest relatives of the Racket-tailed Treepie that you can see in Ho Chi Minh City (family Corvidae, Crows, Jays, and Magpies) are Large-billed Crow (about 30%) and Red-billed Blue Magpie (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Racket-tailed Treepie sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Racket-tailed Treepie is recorded against all the birds logged in Ho Chi Minh City (62 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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