The collared treepie (Dendrocitta frontalis), also known as black-faced treepie or black-browed treepie, is an Asian treepie, a small perching bird of the crow family, Corvidae.

Collared treepie
In Namdapha National Park, India
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Dendrocitta
Species:
D. frontalis
Binomial name
Dendrocitta frontalis
Horsfield, 1840

This bird is slightly smaller than a blue jay and has the typical compact body and long tail of this group. The forehead, face and bib are black with the chest, neck and shoulders a light silvery or bluish-grey in color. The back is a warm chestnut brown with similar underparts. The wing coverts are white with the primaries and tail black.

It inhabits a broad band (though often very localized) from the north eastern Indian Himalayas, Bangladesh,[1] Nepal and across into Burma (Myanmar) in hill forests often at quite high elevations.

It feeds mainly on invertebrates of various types, and hawks for termites in flight; it also eats fruits and berries. It probably takes similar overall food types as the other treepies.

The nest is a small, neat structure often placed in bamboo clumps, small trees or bushes at the edge of a clearing. There are usually 3-5 eggs laid.

The voice is described as varied but contains metallic notes as well as the chatter alarm call sounding similar to the other species.

References

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  1. ^ a b BirdLife International (2018). "Dendrocitta frontalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T22705849A130382030. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22705849A130382030.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.