AVIS-IBIS

Birds of Indian Subcontinent

450. Certhia familiaris hodgsoni

(450) Certhia familiaris hodgsoni Brooks.
THE NORTH-WEST INDIAN COMMON TREE-CREEPER.
Certhia familiaris hodgsoni, Fauna B. I., Birds, 2nd ed. vol. i, p. 434.
Hodgson’s Tree-Creeper, as this bird has hitherto been called, is a resident from Garhwal to North-West Kashmir and along the outer ranges as far West as Murree, where both Rattray and Buchanan found it breeding.
There is only one short note in Hume’s ‘Nests and Eggs,’ by Brooks, by whom “it was seen at Gulmurg and also at Sonamurg, where Captain Cock took a few nests. The egg is much more densely spotted than that of the English Creeper, so as almost to hide the reddish-white ground colour.”
Rattray says : “Very rare. I once found a nest with three very hard-set eggs on the highest point near Murree, shooting the hen bird off the nest. Height about 7,500 feet. Had I not shot the bird I should have taken it for C. himalayana. It is possible birds are missed on this account.”
Later both Rattray and Buchanan found other nests at Murree, and Buchanan has a note :—“Nest in a split fir, just under the bark at nearly 40 feet up, made of feathers, moss and rotten wood.” This clutch had six eggs, whilst one set sent me by Rattray had five.
To me the two clutches look exactly like any other clutch of eggs of the European Certhia familiaris. They are nicely and freely stippled with reddish specks which are more numerous at the larger end, where in one clutch they form well-defined zones. At the same time I have seen many clutches of the British and European Certhias more heavily spotted than these are. They are of quite the usual texture and shape of all Tree-Creepers’ eggs.
Twenty-five eggs average 15.8 x11.9 mm. : maxima 16.8 x 12.6 mm. ; minima 14.8 x 11.1 and 15.0 x 11.0 mm.

BookTitle: 
The Nidification Of Birds Of The Indian Empire
Reference: 
Baker, Edward Charles Stuart. The nidification of birds of the Indian Empire. Vol. 1. 1932.
Title in Book: 
450. Certhia familiaris hodgsoni
Spp Author: 
Brooks.
Book Author: 
Edward Charles Stuart Baker
CatNo: 
450
Year: 
1932
Page No: 
414
Common name: 
Hodgsons Tree Creeper
M_ID: 
26491
M_CN: 
Hodgson's Treecreeper
M_SN: 
Certhia hodgsoni
Volume: 
Vol. 1
Term name: 
id: 
13633

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Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith