SULPHUR BILLED NUTHATCH
Sitta oenochlamys
Sittidae Family

Bird #109 - January 2009

This is a Philippine endemic. It is listed in the Kennedy guide as Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis. It has since been split into two species: the endemic Sulphur-billed Nuthatch and the Velvet-fronted Nuthatch which is found in Palawan.

Sulphur-billed Nuthatch includes the following subspecies:
<mesoleuca - northwestern Luzon
isarong - northeast, central, and southern Luzon
lilacea - Biliran, Leyte, and Samar
apo- Mindanao except Zamboanga Peninsula
zamboanga - Zamboanga Peninsula
oenochlamys - Cebu, Guimaras, Negros, and Panay

So far we have seen isarog in Makiling and the Mountain Province in Luzon, zamboanga in Baluno, Zamboanga, and apo in Mindanao.

Its a unusual bird that creeps up and down on the tree trunks as it looks for food.