Velvet-fronted Nuthatch in Sikkim

From the archive record

The velvet-fronted nuthatch (Sitta frontalis) is a small passerine bird found in southern Asia from Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka east to south China and Indonesia. It is a member of the nuthatch family Sittidae. The velvet-fronted nuthatch has the typical nuthatch big head, short tail and powerful bill and feet. It is 12.5 cm long. It is violet-blue above, with lavender cheeks, beige underparts and a whitish throat. The bill is red, and there is a black patch on the forehead. The male also has a black supercilium. Females lack the supercilium and have a warmer underpart colour. Juveniles are duller versions of the adult. There are four races differing in the shade of the underparts and the extent of white on the throat. Source: Wikipedia This footage is part of the professionally-shot bro