Dendrocitta vagabunda
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 7 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 8 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Gir National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Sundarbans National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 16 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 17 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 18 | Eravikulam National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 19 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 20 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 21 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 22 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aquaelegance | 🇮🇳 India |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Treepie sighting in Royal Manas National Park on a given day, based on 29 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 250th most-seen of the 388 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, June, October and December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Treepie in Royal Manas National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, April–May, July and November, the lowest months. August and September have too few records to rate.
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.
19th of 22
Of the 22 parks where we can rate Rufous Treepie sightings, Royal Manas National Park ranks 19th at under 5%. The best odds are in Ranthambore National Park (India, about 80%), Kanha National Park (India, about 70%) and Satpura National Park (India, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Dendrocitta
The closest relatives of the Rufous Treepie that you can see in Royal Manas National Park (genus Dendrocitta, Typical Treepies) are Gray Treepie (about 40%) and Collared Treepie (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Rufous Treepie is recorded against all the birds logged in Royal Manas National Park (29 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.
