Racket-tailed treepie

Not to be confused with Ratchet-tailed treepie.

The racket-tailed treepie (Crypsirina temia) is an Asian treepie, a member of the crow family, Corvidae.

Racket-tailed treepie
In Kaeng Krachan National Park, Thailand
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Corvidae
Genus:	Crypsirina
Species:	C. temia
Binomial name
Crypsirina temia (Daudin, 1800)

It has a velvety-black forehead of short, plush black feathers with the rest of the bird being an oily green colour, though appearing black in dim light. The tail feathers which in this species are long and broaden at the tail's end are black also with a greenish tinge, as are the wings. The iris of the bird is a turquoise-blue darkening towards the pupil to a very deep or near black. The bill, legs and feet are black.

This bird occurs in southern Burma (Myanmar), Thailand, Indo-China, Sumatra, Java and Bali in scrub and secondary growth, open fields and gardens, bamboo thickets and open forest often near villages.

It almost always feeds in trees (arboreal) never feeding from the ground though coming down to bathe on occasion. It moves through the trees with great agility and uses its remarkable tail as a balancing organ. It eats mainly insects and fruit.

A cup shaped nest is built in bamboo or shrubs especially thorny ones often surrounded by open grassy areas and normally lays 2–4 eggs.

The voice is usually described as harsh and unattractive. It has several described calls but a whining call is often heard.

External links

• Media related to Crypsirina temia at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Crypsirina temia at Wikispecies
• Bird feeding young on nest
• Black racket-tailed treepie videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection