Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
Sitta frontalis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilySittidae (Nuthatches)
- GenusSitta (Nuthatches)
- SpeciesSitta frontalis (Velvet-fronted Nuthatch)
The velvet-fronted nuthatch (Sitta frontalis) is a small passerine bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae found in southern Asia, from Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh east to southwestern China and Indonesia. Like other nuthatches, it feeds on insects in the bark of trees, foraging on the trunks and branches and their strongly clawed toes allow them to climb down tree trunks or move on the undersides of horizontal branches. They are found in forests with good tree cover and are often found along with other species in mixed-species foraging flocks. Adult males can be told apart by the black stripe that runs behind and above the eyes. They have a rapid chipping call note. They breed in tree cavities and holes, often created by woodpeckers or barbets. Wikipedia →
20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Velvet-fronted Nuthatch sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve, based on 425 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Sinharaja Forest Reserve
Square-tailed Bulbul
Hypsipetes ganeesa
Orange-billed Babbler
Turdoides rufescens
Sri Lanka Drongo
Dicrurus lophorinus
White-bellied Drongo
Dicrurus caerulescens
Orange Minivet
Pericrocotus flammeus
Black-capped Bulbul
Pycnonotus melanicterus
Ceylon Magpie
Urocissa ornata
Pale-billed Flowerpecker
Dicaeum erythrorhynchos
Ceylon Myna
Gracula ptilogenys
Purple-rumped Sunbird
Leptocoma zeylonica
Spot-winged Thrush
Geokichla spiloptera
Dark-fronted Babbler
Rhopocichla atriceps
📅 Monthly Probability
🌅 When They're Spotted
Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Velvet-fronted Nuthatch in Sinharaja Forest Reserve?
About 29% of wildlife watchers report a Velvet-fronted Nuthatch sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve, based on 425 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Velvet-fronted Nuthatch in Sinharaja Forest Reserve?
September has the highest sighting rate for Velvet-fronted Nuthatch in Sinharaja Forest Reserve in our monthly data.