Racket-tailed Treepie

Racket-tailed Treepie

Crypsirina temia

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

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Phnom Penh

In 3 days <5%

5 Verified sightings at Phnom Penh
2,481 In all 6 parks From 2019 to 2026
July 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 Phnom Penh?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Racket-tailed Treepie sighting in Phnom Penh on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 151st most-seen of the 154 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Racket-tailed Treepie in Phnom Penh?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Racket-tailed Treepie in Phnom Penh on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

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 Phnom Penh the best place to see a Racket-tailed Treepie?

3rd of 3

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Racket-tailed Treepie sightings, Phnom Penh ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam, about 20%) and Bangkok (Thailand, under 5%).

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 Phnom Penh (5 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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