Thai National Parks

The giant nuthatch (Sitta magna) is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It is the largest species in the genus at 19.5 cm, and is largely grey in colour except for a faintly rufous underpart in the female, whose eyestripe is also duller than the male. The bill is much bulkier than other Sitta.

Giant nuthatches are found in the mountains of southwestern China and northern Thailand, and may be extinct in Myanmar. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mountain pine forests. In northern Thailand they were found to use Pinus kesiya stands both for foraging as well as for nesting. Both parents take care of the young, and the usually three nestlings leave the nest in about 20–23 days.

Conservation

The giant nuthatch is severely threatened by deforestation of its mountainous habitat in southwestern China. Because it tends to require large trees to provide the hollows required for nesting, it is very sensitive to the removal of large trees, and BirdLife International in its 2013 review uplisted the species to Endangered because it is now believed that the actual population, previously estimated at around 10, 000, stands actually as low as 2, 500 and continuously declining.

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