The Indian treepie bird covers a wide range of Asia; it can be found in most of mainland India as far north as the Himalayas and also in Burma, Laos and the forest land of Thailand.
There are many subspecies of the Indian treepie bird. The main subspecies can be found in northeastern peninsular India. There is a paler variety known as "pallida" found in the desert. A variety in brighter colors is the "vernayi," which comes from the eastern Ghats. The western Ghats is home to the "parvula," a smaller subspecies. "Bristoli" is the treepie bird from Afghanistan and Pakistan. Southern Thailand is home to the "saturatior" while "kinneari" hails from northwest Thailand.
The Indian treepie is mainly a cinnamon-red color, with a black head and a long, blue-gray tail with a black tip. It has white patches on its wings and black legs and feet. It has a sturdy bill which hooks at the end. The Indian treepie has a repertoire of many different musical calls; the commonest are known as the "bob-o-link" and "ko-tree" calls.
The Indian treepie is an arboreal bird, meaning it lives almost entirely in trees. It is an energetic bird and can be seen exploring the branches of the tree for food. It feeds on fruit, seeds, small reptiles and other birds' chicks and eggs. The Indian treepie will also feed on freshly killed animal and bird carcasses. It is a sociable bird in that it mixes freely with other species, such as the drongo. It will frequently hunt in a pack of mixed birds. Like other members of the crow family, the treepie will accumulate and then hide food.
The Indian treepie breeding season is between April and July and typically produces three to five eggs per bird. The birds' nests are always in trees, including (in the North-West provinces of India) the babul, mango, neem and sisso trees. The basis of the nest is typically dry twigs, with a construction of finer twigs and grass roots on top. Nests vary in size, depth and tightness of assembly. The eggs can vary greatly in appearance, from greenish-white with large, dark reddish-brown markings to light green with faint brown blotches.
