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Sittellas

Sittellas are small, energetic woodland birds endemic to Australasia that belong to the unique family Neosittidae and resemble nuthatches. These birds are sedentary, partaking only in minor local movements and are recognized by their thin, downward-curved bills, which they adeptly use to snag insects from bark. They have an open cup-shaped nest situated in the crooks of tree branches. While originally divided into two genera, the modern classification merges them into a single genus, Daphoenositta, with the black sittella and the varied (including Papuan) sittella as its members. There is only one fossil species known, Daphoenositta trevorworthyi. Sittellas appeal with their distinctive plumage, including various subspecies of the varied sittella that often interbreed, blurring their differences. While they may appear visually similar to nuthatches, sittellas are more social and their nesting behavior is distinctive; they don't use cavities like nuthatches but rather build on branches. Past misclassifications have placed them into diverse bird families until DNA studies affirmed their own family standing, closely related to berrypeckers, longbills, and whistlers. Their diet consists largely of insects and arthropods, and they exhibit efficient foraging behavior on both trunks and branches of trees. Known for their cooperative breeding, especially in the case of the varied sittella in Australia, these birds often live in clans and engage in collective nest-building and chick-rearing. They are known to decorate their nests with bark for camouflage and show an extended parental care period after their young have fledged. The delicate vocalizations of sittellas, consisting mainly of contact calls, contribute to their charming character as social birds that play a distinctive role in the ecosystem of Australasian forests and woodlands.

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Albatrosses
Anhingas, Darters
Asian Barbets
Austral Storm Petrels
Australasian Babblers
Australasian Robins
Australasian Treecreepers
Australasian Warblers
Australasian Wrens
Australian Mudnesters
Australo-Papuan Bellbirds
Barn Owls
Bee-eaters
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Buttonquail
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Cuckooshrikes
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Figbirds, Orioles, Turnagra
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Flufftails
Frigatebirds
Frogmouths
Gannets, Boobies
Grassbirds & Allies
Grebes
Guineafowl
Gulls, Terns, Skimmers
Herons, Bitterns
Honeyeaters
Hoopoes
Hornbills
Ibises, Spoonbills
Ifrit
Jacanas
Jewel-babblers, Quail-thrushes
Kingfishers
Kites, Hawks, Eagles
Larks
Leaf Warblers & Allies
Logrunners
Lyrebirds
Magpie Goose
Megapodes
Melampittas
Monarchs
Mottled Berryhunter
New World Quail
Nightjars
Northern Storm Petrels
Old World Parrots
Old World Sparrows, Snowfinches
Ospreys
Ostriches
Owlet-nightjars
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Oystercatchers
Painted Berrypeckers
Painted-snipes
Pardalotes
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Ploughbill
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Rails, Crakes & Coots
Reed Warblers & Allies
Rollers
Sandpipers, Snipes
Satinbirds
Scrubbirds
Shrikes
Shriketit

Sittellas

Skuas
Starlings, Rhabdornis
Stilts, Avocets
Stone-curlews, Thick-knees
Storks
Sunbirds
Swallows, Martins
Swifts
Thrushes
Tits, Chickadees
Treeswifts
Tropicbirds
Typical Broadbills
Vangas & Allies
Vireos, Greenlets, Shrike-babblers
Wagtails, Pipits
Waxbills, Munias & Allies
Whipbirds
Whistlers & Allies
White-eyes
Woodpeckers
Woodswallows, Butcherbirds & Allies
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Species Categories

AlbatrossesAnhingas, DartersAsian BarbetsAustral Storm PetrelsAustralasian BabblersAustralasian RobinsAustralasian TreecreepersAustralasian WarblersAustralasian WrensAustralian MudnestersAustralo-Papuan BellbirdsBarn OwlsBee-eatersBerrypeckers, LongbillsBirds-of-paradiseBoatbillsBowerbirdsBristlebirdsBulbulsBuntingsBustardsButtonquailCaracaras, FalconsCassowaries, EmuCettia Bush Warblers & AlliesChats, Old World FlycatchersCisticolas & AlliesCockatoosCormorants, ShagsCoursers, PratincolesCranesCrows, JaysCuckoosCuckooshrikesDrongosDucks, Geese, SwansFairy FlycatchersFairy-bluebirdsFantailsFigbirds, Orioles, TurnagraFinches, EuphoniasFlamingosFlowerpeckersFlufftailsFrigatebirdsFrogmouthsGannets, BoobiesGrassbirds & AlliesGrebesGuineafowlGulls, Terns, SkimmersHerons, BitternsHoneyeatersHoopoesHornbillsIbises, SpoonbillsIfritJacanasJewel-babblers, Quail-thrushesKingfishersKites, Hawks, EaglesLarksLeaf Warblers & AlliesLogrunnersLyrebirdsMagpie GooseMegapodesMelampittasMonarchsMottled BerryhunterNew World QuailNightjarsNorthern Storm PetrelsOld World ParrotsOld World Sparrows, SnowfinchesOspreysOstrichesOwlet-nightjarsOwlsOystercatchersPainted BerrypeckersPainted-snipesPardalotesPelicansPenguinsPetrels, Shearwaters, Diving PetrelsPheasants & AlliesPigeons, DovesPittasPlains-wandererPloughbillPloversRails, Crakes & CootsReed Warblers & AlliesRollersSandpipers, SnipesSatinbirdsScrubbirdsShrikesShriketitSittellasSkuasStarlings, RhabdornisStilts, AvocetsStone-curlews, Thick-kneesStorksSunbirdsSwallows, MartinsSwiftsThrushesTits, ChickadeesTreeswiftsTropicbirdsTypical BroadbillsVangas & AlliesVireos, Greenlets, Shrike-babblersWagtails, PipitsWaxbills, Munias & AlliesWhipbirdsWhistlers & AlliesWhite-eyesWoodpeckersWoodswallows, Butcherbirds & Allies

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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.
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