The Himalayan Cutia

The Himalayan cutia “Cutia nipalensis” is a bird species in the family Leiothrichidae. This amazing species inhabits the Himalayan region, found from north India along the Himalayas Nepal, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Burma, adjacent south China , Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and peninsular Malaysia.  The Himalayan Cutia diet consists of insects, larvae, pupae, gastropods, insect eggs, seeds and berries and pine cones.

The species breeding season start from April to June. The bird like to make nest is an open cup made of pine needles and moss, placed at base of a pine branch against the trunk, 3 to 3.5m above the ground, sometimes up to 20m in a broadleaf tree. The bird scientific name means "the khutya from Nepal". However, the Cutia is derived from the Nepali name for these birds, and nipalensis is Latin for "from Nepal".

This beautiful bird natural habitat is tropical to subtropical humid montane forests. It is not a bird of the high mountains however, rather inhabiting broadleaf forest – e.g. of oaks The Himalayan cutia is not considered threatened by the IUCN, retaining its pre-split status as a Species of Least Concern; in Bhutan for example it is a fairly frequently seen resident. Witnessing this rare gem is a really like dream come true showing off various colors and pattern possess. This is one of the birds that have been listed in the book - 100 Birds to see before you die! Source: CP