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{{short description|Species of bird}}
{{Good article}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Beautiful nuthatch
| image = Pair of Beautiful Nuthatch.jpg
| image_caption =  A pair of beautiful nuthatches in [[Bhutan]]
| status = VU
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2020 |title=''Sitta formosa'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T22711231A177623642 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22711231A177623642.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Sitta
| species = formosa
| authority = [[Edward Blyth|Blyth]], 1843
| synonyms = {{*}} ''Callisitta formosa'' <small>(Blyth, 1943)</small>
| synonyms_ref = <ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Dickinson|first1=Edward C.|last2=Loskot|first2=Edward C.|last3=Loskot|first3=Vladimir M.|last4=Morioka|first4=Hiroyuki|last5=Somadikarta|first5=Soekarja|date=2000|title=Systematic notes on Asian birds. 66. Types of the Sittidae and Certhiidae|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268077056|journal=Zoologische Mededelingen|issue=80|pages=287–310}}</ref>
| range_map = Sitta formosa distribution.png
}}

The '''beautiful nuthatch''' ('''''Sitta formosa''''') is a bird [[species]] in the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Sittidae]], collectively known as [[nuthatch]]es. It is a large nuthatch, measuring {{convert|16.5|cm|abbr=on}} in length, that is not [[sexual dimorphism|sexually dimorphic]]. Its coloration and markings are dramatic, the upper parts being black and [[Azure (color)|azure]], streaked with white and pale blue on the head and lined with the same colors on the [[Flight feather|wing feathers]]. The {{Birdgloss|underparts}} are orange, and the {{Birdgloss|eyebrow}} and {{Birdgloss|throat}} are [[ochre]]. An irregular, dark {{Birdgloss|eyestripe}} highlights its eye. ''S. formosa''{{'}}s ecology is not fully described, but it is known to feed on small insects and [[larva]]e found on the trunks and [[epiphyte]]-covered branches of trees in its range. Reproduction takes place from April to May; the nest is placed in the hole of an [[oak]], [[rhododendron]], or other large tree. The nest is made of plant material and fur in which the bird typically lays four to six eggs.

Although the species is found in most of the countries making up the mainland of [[Southeast Asia]], it appears to be rare throughout its range, its population being highly localized where it is found. The bird nests predominantly in [[montane forest]] at an altitudinal range from {{convert|950|m|abbr=on}} up to nearly {{convert|2,300|m|abbr=on}}, with some seasonal height adjustment, down to around {{convert|300 |m|abbr=on}} in winter. Its apparent localization within its range makes rigorous estimates of its population difficult, but its habitat is threatened by [[deforestation]] and the species appears to be in decline. It has been classified as [[Vulnerable species|vulnerable]] by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]].

== Taxonomy ==

The nuthatches constitute a [[genus]] – ''Sitta'' – of small [[passerine]] birds in the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Sittidae]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sibley|first1=David|last2=Elphick|first2=Chris|last3=Dunning|first3=John Barnard|title=Sibley guide to bird life and behavior|isbn=978-0-679-45123-5|publisher=Alfred A. Knopf|year=2001|page=[https://archive.org/details/sibleyguidetobir00sibl_1/page/434 434]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/sibleyguidetobir00sibl_1/page/434}}</ref> typified by short, compressed wings and short, square 12-feathered {{Birdgloss|tails}}, a compact body, longish pointed {{Birdgloss|bills}}, strong toes with long claws, and behaviorally, by their unique head-first manner of descending tree trunks. Most nuthatches have gray or bluish {{Birdgloss|upperparts}} and a black eyestripe.<ref name="HBW">{{cite book|first1=Josep del|last1=Hoyo|first2=Andrew|last2=Elliott|first3=David A.|last3=Christie|year=2008|volume=13|title=Handbook of the Birds of the World: Penduline-tits to Shrikes|url=http://www.hbw.com/family/nuthatches-sittidae|publisher=Lynx Edicions (HBW Alive for online version)|chapter=Sittidae (Nuthatches): Systematics|doi=10.2173/bow.sittid1.01 }}</ref><ref name="Pasquet2014">{{cite journal|last1=Pasquet|first1=Eric |last2=Barker|first2=F. Keith|last3=Martens| first3=Jochen|last4=Tillier|first4=Annie|last5=Cruaud| first5=Corinne|last6=Cibois|first6=Alice| title=Evolution within the nuthatches (Sittidae: Aves, Passeriformes): molecular phylogeny, biogeography, and ecological perspectives|journal=Journal of Ornithology|date=April 2014|volume=155 |issue=3 |pages=755–765 |doi=10.1007/s10336-014-1063-7|bibcode=2014JOrni.155..755P |s2cid=254162566 }}</ref> ''Sitta'' is derived from the [[Ancient Greek]] name for nuthatches, {{lang|grc|σίττη}}, ''sittē''.<ref name="Jobling">{{cite book|last=Jobling|first=James A.|year=2010|title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names|url=https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling|publisher=Christopher Helm|isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling/page/n357 357]}}</ref>{{sfn|Matthysen|2010|page=4}} "''Nuthatch''", first recorded in 1350, is derived from "nut" and a word probably related to "hack", since these birds hack at nuts they have wedged into crevices.<ref name="oedjar">{{cite web|title=Nuthatch|work=[[Oxford English Dictionary]]|url= http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/129307?rskey=aKsRBB&result=1&isAdvanced=false#eid|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=April 17, 2014|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The genus may be further divided into seven [[subgenera]],{{Cref2|fn. 1}} of which the beautiful nuthatch is placed alone in ''Callisitta'' (Bonaparte, 1850),{{sfn|Matthysen|2010|pp=269–270}} and the species is therefore sometimes called ''Callisitta Formosa''.<ref name="Blyth1843" />

The beautiful nuthatch was first described in 1843 by British zoologist [[Edward Blyth]], from a specimen he examined in [[Darjeeling]].<ref name="Blyth1843">{{cite journal |first=Edward |last=Blyth |year=1843 |title=Mr. Blyth's monthly report for December meeting 1842, with addenda subsequently appended |journal=Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal |volume=12 |issue=143 |pages=925–1,011 |url=https://archive.org/stream/journalofasiatic122asia#page/938/mode/2up}}</ref><ref name="PetersChecklist">{{cite book|first=James Lee|last=Peters|year=1967|editor=Raymond A. Paynter Jr.|title=Check-List of Birds of the World|volume=XII|page=128|url=https://archive.org/stream/checklistofbirds121967pete#page/144/mode/2up|publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology|oclc=605148103}}</ref> Its kinship with other members of the genus is unclear. The bright blue color of its {{Birdgloss|plumage}} invites a comparison to the [[blue nuthatch]] (''S. azurea''), or other blue-tinted nuthatch species such as the [[velvet-fronted nuthatch]] (''S. frontalis''), [[yellow-billed nuthatch]] (''S. solangiae'') and the [[sulphur-billed nuthatch]] (''S. oenochlamys''), but its distribution being focused in the eastern Himalayas, and the uniqueness of its plumage, argues against the assumption.{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=173}} According to the [[International Ornithological Congress]] and ornithologist Alan P. Peterson, no subspecies have been identified.<ref name="IOC">{{cite web|url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/nuthatch/|title=Nuthatches, Wallcreeper, treecreepers, mockingbirds, starlings & oxpeckers|date=October 22, 2016|publisher=International Ornithological Congress (IOC) World Bird List|series=Version 6.4|at=Family Sittidae|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161222041438/http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/nuthatch/|url-status=live|archive-date=December 22, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Peterson">{{cite web|last=Peterson|first=Alan P.|author-link=Alan P. Peterson|title=Entry for Sitta formosa in Zoonomen – Zoological Nomenclature Resource|url=http://www.zoonomen.net/avtax/pa48.html|at=Passeriformes: Sittidae Lesson 1828 – Listing with subspecies|series=Version 1.018|date=August 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025022608/http://www.zoonomen.net/avtax/pa48.html|url-status=live|archive-date=October 25, 2017}}</ref>
{{quote box|width=auto
|tstyle = font-size:110%; border-bottom:1px #aaa solid;
|title =Phylogenetic tree detail<br />Nuthatch phylogenic detail according to Pasquet, et al. (2014):<ref name="Pasquet2014"/>
|quote=
{{Tree list}}
* Weakly-supported ''[[clade]]''
** '''Beautiful nuthatch''' (''S. formosa'')
** {{Tree list/final branching}}
*** {{Tree list/branching}}
**** [[Eastern rock nuthatch]] (''S. tephronota'')
**** {{Tree list/final branch}} [[Western rock nuthatch]] (''S. neumayer'')
*** {{Tree list/final branching}}
**** {{Tree list/branching}}
***** [[Kashmir nuthatch]] (''S. cashmirensis'')
***** [[Chestnut-vented nuthatch]] (''S. nagaensis'')
***** {{Tree list/final branch}} [[Eurasian nuthatch]] (''S. europaea'')
**** {{Tree list/final branch}} [[White-tailed nuthatch]] (''S. himalayensis'')
{{Tree list/end}}
}}

In 2014, Eric Pasquet, ''et al.'' published a [[phylogeny]] based on examination of [[Nuclear DNA|nuclear]] and [[mitochondrial DNA|mitochondrial]] DNA of 21 nuthatch species.{{Cref2|fn. 2}} The position of the beautiful nuthatch within the genus was not established with certainty, having a far lower statistical association than others in the model. Nevertheless, under the findings the species appears closest evolutionarily to three [[clade]]s of nuthatches: two nuthatches that prefer rocky environments, the [[western rock nuthatch]] (''S. neumayer'') and the [[eastern rock nuthatch]] (''S. tephronota''); species in the "[[Eurasian nuthatch#Subspecies|europaea]]" group, including the [[Eurasian nuthatch]] (''S. europaea''), [[Siberian nuthatch]] (''S. arctica''), [[chestnut-vented nuthatch]] (''S. nagaensis''), [[Kashmir nuthatch]] (''S. cashmirensis''), [[Indian nuthatch]] (''S. castanea''), [[chestnut-bellied nuthatch]] (''S. cinnamoventris'') and the [[Burmese nuthatch]] (''S. neglecta''); as well as the [[white-tailed nuthatch]] (''S. himalayensis''), and therefore, the [[white-browed nuthatch]] (''S. victoriae''). These close relatives are generally all species that plaster the entrance to their nest with mud.<ref name="Pasquet2014" />

== Description ==
[[File:Sitta formosa Wytsman.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Schematic drawing of the bird clinging to a vertical support, head down|Drawing depicting the main [[morphology (biology)|morphological]] features]]

Described by Erik Matthysen in his 1998 treatise ''The Nuthatches'' as a bird that "deserves its name",{{sfn|Matthysen|2010|page=232}} the beautiful nuthatch has highly distinctive plumage. Its upperparts are black and [[Azure (color)|azure]], and it is orange on the underparts. The crown and upper mantle are black, streaked with pale blue and white. The [[Bird anatomy|scapulars]], back and [[Rump (animal)#Birds|rump]] are an azure blue. The greater and medium [[Covert feather#Wing coverts|coverts]] are black, finely edged with white, forming two narrow {{Birdgloss|wing bars}}; the [[flight feather]]s are black and more or less lined with pale blue. The [[Supercilium|eyebrow]] and throat are white and [[Buff (colour)|buff]] and the eye is highlighted by an irregular, dark eyestripe. Under the wing, the white base of the {{Birdgloss|primary coverts}} contrasts sharply with gray {{Birdgloss|undertail-coverts}}; a distinguishing trait when viewing the bird in flight. The [[Iris (anatomy)|iris]] is reddish-brown or dark brown and the [[Bird anatomy#Beak|bill]] is black but for a whitish tinge at the base of the {{Birdgloss|lower mandible}}. The lower parts are generally orange-cinnamon. The legs and feet are yellowish-brown, olive-brown or greenish-brown.{{sfn|Harrap|1996|page=171}}

There is no [[sexual dimorphism]].{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=172}} Juveniles are very similar to adults, but the streaks on the mantle are blue rather than white. The primary coverts of juveniles are also more closely lined with blue, and the underparts are paler overall, especially on the chest. Adults perform a complete [[Moulting|moult]] after the breeding season, whereas juveniles only have a partial moult, in which they replace a variable number of [[Flight feather#Rectrices|rectrices]].{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=172}}

The bird is large as compared with other members of the genus ''Sitta'', measuring {{convert|16.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length.{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=172}}{{Cref2|fn. 3}} The [[Wing chord (biology)|folded wing]] measures {{convert|98|–|109|mm|in|abbr=on}} in males and {{convert|97|–|100|mm|in|abbr=on}} in females. The tail is {{convert|48|–|60|mm|in|abbr=on}} in males and {{convert|52|–|56|mm|in|abbr=on}} in females. The {{Birdgloss|beak}} measures between {{convert|20|mm|abbr=on}} and {{convert|24.9|mm|abbr=on}} and the [[Bird measurement#Tarsus|tarsus]] is {{convert|19|–|22|mm|in|abbr=on}} in length. The weight is not known.{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=172}}

== Ecology and behavior ==
[[File:SittaFormosaGould.jpg|thumb|right|Illustration of ''Sitta formosa'', by  [[John Gould]] and [[Henry Constantine Richter|H. C. Richter]].]]

=== Voice ===
''S. formosa'''s [[Bird vocalization|vocalizations]] are not well known, but its {{Birdgloss|song}} is described as "low and sweet in tone".{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=172}} Its call is typical of nuthatches, and similar to that of the Eurasian nuthatch (''Sitta europaea''), but less strident.{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=172}}

=== Feeding ===
The beautiful nuthatch {{Birdgloss|dietary classification terms (-vores)|forages}} alone, in pairs or in small groups of four to five individuals,{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=172–173}} though an unusual gathering of 21 individuals was observed in one tree in Bhutan.<ref name="BirdbaseHokkaido">{{cite web|title=Beautiful Nuthatch ''Sitta formosa'' |publisher=BirdBase |url=http://birdbase.hokkaido-ies.go.jp/rdb/rdb_en/sittform.pdf |access-date=April 29, 2014 |author=Hokkaido Institute of Environmental Sciences and Japan Science and Technology Agency |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023514/http://birdbase.hokkaido-ies.go.jp/rdb/rdb_en/sittform.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref> It often takes part in [[mixed-species foraging flock]]s,{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=172–173}} and has been notably observed feeding with the [[Himalayan cutia]] (''Cutia nipalensis'') and the velvet-fronted nuthatch (''Sitta frontalis'') – two other species that prospect for food on tree trunks. Other foraging flock partners surveyed are the [[long-tailed broadbill]] (''Psarisomus dalhousiae''), the [[lesser racket-tailed drongo]] (''Dicrurus remifer''), the [[maroon oriole]] (''Oriolus traillii'') and the [[white-browed scimitar babbler]] (''Pomatorhinus schisticeps'').<ref name="BirdbaseHokkaido" />

''S. formosa'' forages from about the middle to the apex of tall trees, exploring the [[Trunk (botany)|trunks]] and epiphyte-covered branches ([[lichen]]s, [[moss]]es, [[Orchidaceae|orchid]]s), for small [[insect]]s, but also prospect on outermost branches. In Laos, individuals were observed feeding while perched on the larger branches of a Fokienia evergreen (''Fokienia hodginsii'') – a tree frequently enveloped in epiphytes.<ref name="BirdbaseHokkaido" /> The bird has been described at times as the most timid of nuthatches.{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=172}} It prospects in a manner typical of many others in its genus, sometimes hanging upside down for an extended time surveying its surroundings. As compared with other nuthatch, the species has been described as working "unhurriedly",<ref name="BirdbaseHokkaido" /> as they peck at trunks, lichen and other epiphytes, searching for prey.{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=173}} Stomach contents of collected Chinese specimens consisted of [[beetle]]s and insect [[larva]]e.<ref name="BirdbaseHokkaido" />

=== Breeding ===
[[Bird#Breeding|Reproduction]] in the species has not been well studied. In the northeast of India, the [[Seasonal breeder#Breeding season|breeding season]] is from April to May. The [[nest]] is placed off the ground, between two and eight meters high, and is often built in a hole of a (living or dead) [[oak]] or [[rhododendron]] tree, or sometimes in other large trees. Nests are constructed using leaves and bark, held together with hair, often that of [[bamboo rat]]s. If the opening of the hole is too large, it is cemented with mud to reduce the entrance size. The bird usually lays four to six white eggs, speckled with red spots, that measure {{convert|20.8|×|15.3|mm|in|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=173}} Beautiful nuthatch sexes are reported to share equally in nest building and {{Birdgloss|incubation}} duties.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hume|first=Allan Octavian|authorlink=Allan Octavian Hume|title=The Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9yUIAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA146|edition=2nd|year=1890|publisher=R. H. Porter|location=London|page=146|oclc=216484499}}</ref>

== Distribution and habitat ==
[[File:Beautiful Nuthatch.jpg|thumb|right|In natural habitat in Bhutan]]
[[File:Beautiful nuthatch eaglenest.jpg|thumb|right|A beautiful nuthatch at Eagle Nest sanctuary, India.]]
This species lives in the eastern [[Himalayas]], and has been reported in several scattered sites across [[Southeast Asia]], in the northwest of Vietnam and in central Laos. Its range stretches west into the northeast of India, where it was reported seen near [[Darjeeling]] in [[West Bengal]], but not since 1933.<ref name="BirdbaseHokkaido" /> It is present in Bhutan, and in the Indian states of [[Sikkim]] (in the town of [[Rangpo]]), in [[Meghalaya]] (in the [[Khasi Hills]]), in Assam (in the [[Dima Hasao district]]), in the south of [[Arunachal Pradesh]], and in [[Manipur]] and [[Nagaland]]. Its presence in Bangladesh is uncertain but it is found further east in the north of Burma, in [[Chin State]] (in the [[Chin Hills–Arakan Yoma montane forests]]), the [[Sagaing Region]], in [[Kachin State]] and in [[Shan State]]. Data on the bird from Laos is erratic, but there are reports of sightings north of Phou Kobo, and of large numbers of the species wintering in the center of the country in the pristine wilderness of [[Nakai–Nam Theun]]. There are also reports of sightings in the southeast of China’s [[Yunnan]] province, in northern Thailand and in northwestern Vietnam.{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=172}} Its residential and breeding range is estimated to cover {{convert|376000|km2|abbr=on}}.<ref name="BLI" />

Beautiful nuthatches typically inhabit both the interior and outskirts of [[evergreen]] or [[semi-deciduous|semi-evergreen]] [[montane forest]], though in northern Burma they have been recorded nesting in trees scattered across open areas.{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=172}} In central Laos, the bird was found associated with the [[Fokienia]] evergreen.<ref name="BLI">{{cite web|last1=Benstead|first1=P.|last2=Gilroy|first2=J.|title= Beautiful Nuthatch - BirdLife Species Factsheet| publisher=[[BirdLife International]] |url= http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=6903 |access-date=April 29, 2014}}</ref> They usually live at altitudes of {{convert|950|m|abbr=on}} and up to nearly {{convert|2,300|m|abbr=on}} during the warm seasons but may make seasonal vertical migration. In India, for example, the species spends the summer between {{convert|1,500|m|abbr=on}} and {{convert|2,100|m|abbr=on}}, but was observed during winter at just {{convert|335|m|abbr=on}} in Sikkim and in northeastern Arunachal Pradesh at {{convert|460|m|abbr=on}} and between {{convert|600|m|abbr=on}} and {{convert|800|m|abbr=on}}. In Burma, they were observed at between {{convert|975|m|abbr=on}} and {{convert|1,830|m|abbr=on}}, in China between {{convert|350|m|abbr=on}} and {{convert|1,975|m|abbr=on}}, in Laos between {{convert|1,950|m|abbr=on}} and {{convert|2,000|m|abbr=on}} and in Thailand, the only observation of the species was at a height of {{convert|2,290|m|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=172}}

== Threats and protection==
The beautiful nuthatch has always been rare and very localized throughout its distribution,<ref name="BirdbaseHokkaido" /> perhaps due to very specific [[Ecology|ecological]] requirements, though this has been questioned as not in keeping with the diversity of habitats in which ''S. formosa'' has been observed.{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=172–173}}<ref name="BirdbaseHokkaido" /> Although the species is less threatened at high elevations, its habitat has been reduced by [[deforestation]], due to [[logging]] and forest clearance to make way for human habitation.{{sfn|Harrap|1996|pages=172}}<ref name="BirdbaseHokkaido" /> In the center of Laos and northern Vietnam, ''[[Fokienia]]'' trees, which are a known beautiful nuthatch foraging source and nesting site, are harvested for their high commercial value.<ref name="BLI" /> Research conducted in 2001 indicated a population comprising 2,500 to 10,000 adults, and between 3,500 and 15,000 total individuals; these numbers are in decline. The species has been classified as [[Vulnerable species|vulnerable]] by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN).<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" />

== Footnotes ==
{{Cnote2 Begin|liststyle=upper-alpha|colwidth=40em}}
{{Cnote2|fn. 1|Being ''Callisitta'', ''Poecilositta'', ''Oenositta'', ''Sitta'', ''Mesositta'', ''Micrositta'' and ''Leptositta''.{{sfn|Matthysen|2010|pp=269–270}} }}

{{Cnote2|fn. 2|The 21 species are out of 24 recognized as making up the genus by Harrap and Quinn as of 1996. Of these, the study omitted the [[Indian nuthatch]] (''Sitta castanea''), the [[yellow-billed nuthatch]] (''Sitta solangiae'') and the [[white-browed nuthatch]] (''Sitta victoriae''). The International Ornithological Congress however recognized 28 species as of 2012, based on the elevation of four taxa from subspecies to full species status, including [[Przevalski's nuthatch]] (''S. przewalskii'') and three species from the ''[[Eurasian nuthatch|europaea]]'' group.<ref name="Pasquet2014" />}}

{{Cnote2|fn. 3|For comparison, the smallest nuthatches, the [[brown-headed nuthatch]] (''Sitta pusilla'') of North America, and its related Asian counterpart, the [[pygmy nuthatch]] (''Sitta pygmaea'') measure, respectively, {{convert|105|mm|in|abbr=on}}{{sfn|Harrap|1996|page=130}} and {{convert|110|mm|in|abbr=on}},{{sfn|Harrap|1996|page=127}} while the [[giant nuthatch]], the largest of the genus, measures {{convert|19.5|cm|in|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Harrap|1996|page=169}} }}

{{Cnote2 End}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Harrap|first=Simon|others=Illustrated by David Quinn|title=Tits, Nuthatches and Treecreepers|year=1996|publisher=A&C Black |editor=Christopher Helm |isbn=978-0-7136-3964-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2M8UE327UswC&pg=PA172}}
* {{cite book|last=Matthysen|first=Erik|others=Illustrated by David Quinn|title=The Nuthatches|publisher=A & C Black |year=2010|orig-year=1998|isbn=978-1-4081-2870-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I-Smj_ufIikC&pg=PA232}} 
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Sitta formosa}}
{{Wikispecies|Sitta formosa }}
* [http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?Bird_ID=2614  Oriental Bird Images: ''Beautiful Nuthatch''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024095757/http://orientalbirdimages.org/search.php?Bird_ID=2614 |date=2017-10-24 }},  selected images

{{Taxonbar|from=Q571035}}

[[Category:Nuthatches]]
[[Category:Birds of Bhutan]]
[[Category:Birds of Northeast India]]
[[Category:Birds of Yunnan]]
[[Category:Birds of Thailand]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1843]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Edward Blyth]]