Common name: Rufous Treepie
Tamil Name: வால் காக்கை
Scientific name: Dendrocitta vagabunda
Photo credit: Manoj Kumar
Photo shot at: Backyard of Cauvery hostel, BDU
Description: The Rufous Treepie is a treepie, member of the Corvidae (crow) family, native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. . It has long tail and gives loud musical calls making it very conspicuous. It is found commonly in open scrub, agricultural areas, forests as well as urban gardens. Like other corvids it is very adaptable, omnivorous and opportunistic in feeding. They have been considered to be beneficial to palm cultivation in southern India due to their foraging on the grubs of the destructive weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus. They are known to feed on the fruits of Trichosanthes palmata which are toxic to mammals.