Himalayan cutia

The Himalayan cutia (Cutia nipalensis) is a bird species in the family Leiothrichidae. Its scientific name ultimately means "the khutya from Nepal", as Cutia is derived from the Nepali name for these birds, and nipalensis is Latin for "from Nepal".[2]

Himalayan cutia
From Khangchendzonga National Park, West Sikkim, India.
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Leiothrichidae
Genus:	Cutia
Species:	C. nipalensis
Binomial name
Cutia nipalensis Hodgson, 1837
Synonyms
Cutia nipalensis nipalensis Hodgson, 1837

This species inhabits the Himalayan region, from India to northern Thailand. A subspecies also occurs in Peninsular Malaysia. Previously the genus Cutia was monotypic, but the Vietnamese cutia, for long lumped with the Himalayan birds as subspecies, has been recently raised to full species status as C. legalleni.[3]

• 
  From Neora Valley National Park, West Bengal, India
• 
  A flock consisting of two males (♂) and a female (♀) from Neora Valley National Park in West Bengal, India.
• 
  From Mizoram, India.
• 
  From Pabyuk-Naitam, Sikkim, India.

Its natural habitat are tropical to subtropical humid montane forests. It is not a bird of the high mountains however, rather inhabiting broadleaf forest – e.g. of oaks (Quercus) – of the foothills upwards of 1,500 m ASL or so, but rarely if ever ascending above 2,500 m ASL.[4]

The Himalayan cutia is not considered threatened by the IUCN, retaining its pre-split status as a Species of Least Concern; in Bhutan for example it is a fairly frequently seen resident.[5]