Treecreepers (Certhiidae)

Bar-tailed Treecreeper (Certhia himalayana) - HBW 13, p. 184

French: Grimpereau de l’Himalaya German: Himalajabaumläufer Spanish: Agateador del Himalaya
Other common names: Himalayan Treecreeper

Taxonomy: Certhia Himalayana Vigors, 1832, Himalayas (Garhwal and Kumaon).
Closest relatives uncertain, although song rather similar to those of C. discolor and C. manipurensis. Despite this species’ occurrence in two disjunct populations, geographical variation is clinal across whole range, W birds being palest with longer bill and E birds darker and shorter-billed (cline is apparently reversed at extreme E parts of range). Pronounced local individual variation tends to mask geographical variation. Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

taeniura Severtsov, 1873 - mountains of C Asia in E Uzbekistan, W Kyrgyzstan, extreme SE Turkmenistan, W Tajikistan and N Afghanistan.
himalayana Vigors, 1832 - breeds E Afghanistan (S of Hindu Kush, from Nuristan S to Kandahar), N Pakistan (S at least to C Baluchistan, also in Murree Hills) and E in Himalayas (also N of main range, in upper Indus and associated valleys) to W Nepal.
yunnanensis Sharpe, 1902 - S China (from SW Gansu and S Shaanxi S to SE Xizang, NW & W Yunnan and W Sichuan, also SW Guizhou) and N Myanmar.
ripponi Kinnear, 1929 - S Chin Hills (Mt Victoria), in SW Myanmar.