Sitta himalayensis
Silhouette: Alan and Elaine Wilson (Modified) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The white-tailed nuthatch (Sitta himalayensis) is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It ranges across the northern and northeastern parts of the Indian subcontinent, existing mainly in the low-to-middle Himalayas, as well as associated mountain ranges. It is found in Bhutan, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Tibet and Thailand.
It is 12 cm long, slightly smaller than the other related Himalayan nuthatches, and may be identified by the buff underside, smaller beak than in the Kashmir nuthatch (S. cashmirensis), and paler blue-grey mantle than others except for Kashmir nuthatch. The white patch on the centre of the upper tail coverts is difficult to see in the field. It has a small bill and pale orangey underparts with unmarked bright rufous undertail-coverts. The black eyestripe is broader than that of Kashmir nuthatch, and flared wider behind the eye.
It is resident in the sub-Himalayan range from Himachal Pradesh to Arunachal Pradesh and into the South Assam Hills (Lushai Hills). It breeds from March to May in broad-leaved and mixed forest. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland broadleaf forests and subtropical... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 2 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kathmandu | 🇳🇵 Nepal |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-tailed Nuthatch sighting in Royal Manas National Park on a given day, based on 132 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 127th most-seen of the 388 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-tailed Nuthatch in Royal Manas National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, the lowest month. That is one of Royal Manas National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 930 mm in July. August and September have too few records to rate.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-tailed Nuthatch sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate White-tailed Nuthatch sightings, Royal Manas National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Langtang National Park (Nepal, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-tailed Nuthatch is recorded against all the birds logged in Royal Manas National Park (132 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.
