Rufous Treepie

Rufous Treepie

Dendrocitta vagabunda

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Vasai-Virar

In 3 days ~10%

26 Verified sightings at Vasai-Virar
22,678 In all 22 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Rufous Treepie

The rufous treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda) is a treepie, native to the Indian subcontinent and adjoining parts of Southeast Asia. It is a member of the crow family, Corvidae. It is long tailed and has loud musical calls making it very conspicuous. It is found commonly in open scrub, agricultural areas, forests as well as urban gardens. Like other corvids it is very adaptable, omnivorous and opportunistic in feeding.

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. The nominate subspecies is found in the northeastern part of peninsular India south to Hyderabad. The desert form is paler and called pallida, vernayi of the Eastern Ghats is brighter while parvula of the Western... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:38

Thailand · 2025

© Jukree Sisonmak · XC1135774 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Duet0:19

India · 2026

© Ding Li Yong · XC1088161 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:35

Thailand · 2015

© Peter Ericsson · XC239890 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~80%
2 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~70%
3 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
~60%
4 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~60%
5 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
~60%
6 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~60%
7 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~60%
8 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
~50%
9 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
10 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
11 Gir National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
12 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
13 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
14 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
15 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
16 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
17 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
18 Eravikulam National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
19 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
<5%
20 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
21 Langtang National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
22 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Hajipur 🇮🇳 India
~80%
2 Asansol 🇮🇳 India
~80%
3 Thiruvananthapuram 🇮🇳 India
~80%
4 Bareilly 🇮🇳 India
~70%
5 Tamluk 🇮🇳 India
~70%
6 Jaipur 🇮🇳 India
~70%
7 Patna 🇮🇳 India
~60%
8 Thrissur 🇮🇳 India
~60%
9 Madurai 🇮🇳 India
~60%
10 Kollam 🇮🇳 India
~60%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Aquaelegance 🇮🇳 India In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Rufous Treepie in Vasai-Virar?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Treepie sighting in Vasai-Virar on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 154th most-seen of the 217 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Rufous Treepie in Vasai-Virar?

June

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Treepie in Vasai-Virar on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months. That is one of Vasai-Virar's wettest months, with about 520 mm of rain against almost none in January.

What time of day is best to see a Rufous Treepie?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous Treepie sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Vasai-Virar the best place to see a Rufous Treepie?

62nd of 63

Of the 63 cities where we can rate Rufous Treepie sightings, Vasai-Virar ranks 62nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Hajipur (India, about 80%), Asansol (India, about 80%) and Thiruvananthapuram (India, about 80%).

Which relatives of the Rufous Treepie live in Vasai-Virar?

Same family: Corvidae

The closest relatives of the Rufous Treepie that you can see in Vasai-Virar (family Corvidae, Crows, Jays, and Magpies) are House Crow (about 90%) and Large-billed Crow (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Rufous Treepie sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Rufous Treepie is recorded against all the birds logged in Vasai-Virar (26 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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