Subspecies in India
Photo Gallery and Species Biology
This species is rare. It inhabits forests of India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, and China, at 600m-2,400m asl. It is an altitudinal migrant, it descends from higher altitudes (1,500m-2,400m) during the breeding season (BirdLife International 2016).
Conservation Status:
According to the IUCN Red List Assessment, the population of this species is declining, with the current population estimate of 2,500-9,999 individuals. The threat to its persistence comes from habitat disturbance due to large-scale timber extraction and overgrazing for domestic livestock. Hunting is also a major threat to this species, leading to low adult survival (BirdLife International 2016).
| State | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | No date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | |||||||||||||
| Andhra Pradesh | |||||||||||||
| Arunachal Pradesh | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Assam | |||||||||||||
| Bihar | |||||||||||||
| Chandigarh | |||||||||||||
| Chhattisgarh | |||||||||||||
| Dadra & Nagar Haveli | |||||||||||||
| Daman & Diu | |||||||||||||
| Delhi | |||||||||||||
| Goa | |||||||||||||
| Gujarat | |||||||||||||
| Haryana | |||||||||||||
| Himachal Pradesh | |||||||||||||
| Jammu and Kashmir UT | |||||||||||||
| Jharkhand | |||||||||||||
| Karnataka | |||||||||||||
| Kerala | |||||||||||||
| Ladakh UT | |||||||||||||
| Lakshadweep | |||||||||||||
| Madhya Pradesh | |||||||||||||
| Maharashtra | |||||||||||||
| Manipur | |||||||||||||
| Meghalaya | |||||||||||||
| Mizoram | |||||||||||||
| Nagaland | |||||||||||||
| Odisha | |||||||||||||
| Paschimbanga | |||||||||||||
| Pondicherry | |||||||||||||
| Punjab | |||||||||||||
| Rajasthan | |||||||||||||
| Sikkim | |||||||||||||
| Tamil Nadu | |||||||||||||
| Tripura | |||||||||||||
| Uttar Pradesh | |||||||||||||
| Uttarakhand | |||||||||||||
| West Bengal | |||||||||||||
| Total | 1 | 1 |
BirdLife International 2016. Sitta formosa . The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22711231A94285206. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22711231A94285206.en. Accessed on 12 February 2020.
Page citation
Anonymous 2025. Sitta formosa Blyth, 1843 – Beautiful Nuthatch. In Satose, V., A. Bayani, V. Ramachandran, P. Roy, and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 2.17. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.birdsofindia.org/sitta-formosa, accessed 2025/10/21.





