Dendrocitta is a genus of long-tailed passerine birds in the crow and jay family, Corvidae. They are resident in tropical South and Southeast Asia.
The species have black, grey and rufous plumage. Typically, the face and flight feathers are black, and the back is rufous. They are highly arboreal and rarely come to the ground to feed.
Taxonomy The genus Dendrocitta was introduced in 1833 by the English ornithologist John Gould with the type species as Dendrocitta leucogastra Gould, 1833, the white-bellied treepie. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek δενδρον/dendron meaning "tree" with κιττα/kitta meaning "magpie".
The genus contains seven species:
Image Common name Scientific name DistributionRufous treepieDendrocitta vagabundaIndian subcontinent and adjoining parts of Southeast Asia Grey treepieDendrocitta formosaeHimalayas, Indochina, southern mainland China, Hainan and TaiwanSumatran treepieDendrocitta occipitalismountains of SumatraBornean treepieDendrocitta cinerascensmountains of BorneoWhite-bellied treepieDendrocitta leucogastralowlands of southwestern India (Western Ghats)Collared treepieDendrocitta frontalisHimalayas of northern India, northern Myanmar, and northwestern VietnamAndaman treepieDendrocitta bayleiidense forest of Andaman Islands References
Madge and Burn, Crows and Jays