Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a Grey Treepie (Dendrocitta formosae)
Grey Treepie

Grey Treepie

Dendrocitta formosae

The Grey Treepie, known scientifically as Dendrocitta formosae, is a medium-sized, long-tailed bird that is a member of the crow family. This species, first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1863, exhibits a predominantly grey plumage with subtle regional variations in color and tail length.

Identification Tips

Adult Grey Treepies measure between 36–40 cm in length and weigh approximately 89–121 grams. They can be identified by their overall grey body, dark face and throat with a diffuse mask, and a white carpal patch on the black wing. The vent is a distinctive rufous color, and the outer tail feathers, along with the tips of the central feathers, are black. Both sexes appear similar, while juveniles are duller with a browner nape and rufous-tipped feathers.

Habitat

The Grey Treepie is an arboreal bird that inhabits a variety of environments, including forests, cultivated areas, and regions of human habitation.

Distribution

This species is widely distributed across the foothills of the Himalayas, extending through the Indian Subcontinent into Indochina, southern mainland China, and Taiwan. It can be found at elevations up to 2,400 meters in the Himalayas and between 400 and 1,200 meters in southeastern China.

Behaviour

Grey Treepies are primarily arboreal feeders but will forage on the ground, particularly in cultivated areas. They are known to join mixed-species flocks and exhibit a systematic approach to foraging through hill forests and broad-leaved trees.

Song & Calls

The vocal repertoire of the Grey Treepie is quite varied, ranging from harsh, grating sounds to more melodious notes. Calls include a grating "k-r-r-r-r" as well as "tiddly-aye-kok" and "ko-ku-la," along with a barking "braap…braap…braap."

Breeding

Breeding occurs mainly from May to July in the Himalayan foothills, with nests built in trees and bushes or bamboo clumps. Clutches typically consist of 3-4 eggs, which may be whitish, buffish, or pale green with brown or grey spots. Both parents participate in nest building and feeding the young.

Similar Species

The Grey Treepie forms a superspecies with Dendrocitta occipitalis and Dendrocitta cinerascens, and regional subspecies exhibit slight variations in plumage and tail length.

Diet and Feeding

An omnivorous bird, the Grey Treepie's diet includes insects, invertebrates, berries, nectar, grains, seeds, small reptiles, eggs, and nestlings.

Conservation Status

The Grey Treepie is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. While the global population size is not precisely known, it is estimated that there are significant numbers of breeding pairs in China and Taiwan. However, the population in Hainan may be at risk due to habitat destruction. The species' large range and the relatively slow rate of population decline contribute to its current conservation status.

App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

Grey Treepies on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Crows, Jays

A photo of a California Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma californica)

California Scrub Jay

Aphelocoma californica
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Ellesse_W
Learning Birding with Birda
I’m relatively new to birding as a hobby, and Birda is a great way to keep track off all the species I see. I’m still working on my ID skills, but the app is great for figuring out potential species, and the online community is so friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend Birda to both early and serious birders! 🐦
Emma L
App got me interested in birding!
Super friendly community <3 This app got me interested in birding! It teaches me cool stuff and its super friendly, and fun :) The species guide is really developing my knowledge, and i love seeing cool new birds from round the world!
Emcil24
A Friendly Place
I love using the bird app, I have a pretty good knowledge of birds. But I do have some gaps in it, so it’s nice to have a safe space to check on a sighting to confirm the species. It’s really enjoyable and I love the badges you can collect. It’s like a real life Pokémon go.
David C
Very knowledgeable group
Nice friendly birding community. Very knowledgeable group with a willingness to help.
Stewart W
Fantastic to be involved
Fantastic to be involved, great for mental health and gets you responding with the Challenges that are to takd part in.
Jane N
A great app
Enjoying it immensely and finding it useful too. Recording the different birds and counting them is showing me how the present climate is affecting them all. I've trebled the numbers by planting native hedging. A great app.
Patricia L
Very encouraging birding app
Easy to use, fun to see progress and encouraging to receive feedback from other users.
Alex J
Friendly and helps to identify birds
Great birding app, good for logging your sightings, also has nice species guide. I'm enjoying the social aspect more than I expected, everyone seems friendly and helps to identify unknown birds. Good mix of newbies and experienced users.
Carrie
Makes you want to spot birds more
I think this app is fun. It makes you want to spot birds more so I guess in a way it encourages you to get out and about instead of sitting in front of the TV.
Foxgirl100
Great app for beginner twitchers
I’ve had a passion of photographing birds for a long time now but have only just gotten into proper birdwatching, and this app is brilliant for those just getting started. There is a great sense of community among users and the app is very easy to use and professional. Awesome app altogether
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.