Tim writes: Przewalski’s Nuthatch (Sitta przewalskii) is a scarce Nuthatch that only occurs in mature pine forests in southeastern Tibet and west central China. It was formerly considered just a subspecies of the White-cheeked Nuthatch of the western Himalayas but recent molecular work has confirmed it as a good species. In addition, the ranges of these two species are separated by nearly 1000 miles. Przewalski’s differs from White-cheeked in having richly coloured underparts and a faint orange wash to the cheeks.
It was named after the Russian explorer Nikolay Przhevalsky, who discovered the species in 1884. He also had the wild horse Equus przewalskii named after him.
I photographed this one near Balang Mountain in Sichuan.
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