Sitta castanea
Silhouette: Alan and Elaine Wilson (Modified) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%
The Indian nuthatch (Sitta castanea) is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It is found in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
This species has been split by Rasmussen and Anderton (2005) from the chestnut-bellied nuthatch. The Indian nuthatch (including the older prateri of the Eastern Ghats) is found south of the Ganges river. It is the only grey-backed, rufous-bellied nuthatch in the peninsula. Similar to the chestnut-bellied nuthatch but has a smaller bill and a frosty crown that is paler than the mantle. The wing and tail patterns lack contrast and has grey centres to the chestnut undertail coverts. Resident in the Terai and Gangetic plain extending into central India, the Eastern Ghats, Sunderbans and a disjunct population in the Western Ghats. Breeds from February to July. Different in vocalization from the chestnut-bellied nuthatch. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 6 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Nuthatch sighting in Royal Bardia National Park on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 99th most-seen of the 233 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Nuthatch in Royal Bardia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October, the lowest month. That is one of Royal Bardia National Park's driest months, with about 10 mm of rain against 590 mm in July. August has too few records to rate.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indian Nuthatch 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.
5th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Indian Nuthatch sightings, Royal Bardia National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Kanha National Park (India, about 30%), Mudumalai National Park (India, about 30%) and Bandhavgarh National Park (India, about 20%).
Same genus: Sitta
The closest relatives of the Indian Nuthatch that you can see in Royal Bardia National Park (genus Sitta, Nuthatches) are Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch (about 20%) and Velvet-fronted Nuthatch (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Indian Nuthatch is recorded against all the birds logged in Royal Bardia National Park (43 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
