Afghanistan (B) (NB), China (mainland), India, Kazakhstan (B), Kyrgyzstan (B) (NB), Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia (Asian), Tajikistan (B), Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Bar-tailed Treecreeper (Certhia himalayana) [XC472621]
by Peter Boesman from NW of Pangot, Uttarakhand, India (call)
Bar-tailed Treecreeper (Certhia himalayana) [XC197989]
by Cedric Mroczko from Pangot, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India (song)
Subspecies
Closest relatives uncertain, although song rather similar to those of Sikkim Treecreeper (Certhia discolor) and Manipur Treecreeper (Certhia manipurensis). Despite this species' occurrence in two disjunct populations, geographical variation is clinal across whole range, western birds being palest with longer bill and eastern birds darker and shorter-billed (cline is apparently reversed at extreme eastern parts of range). Pronounced local individual variation tends to mask geographical variation.
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
taeniura Severtsov, 1873 - Mountains of central Asia in eastern Uzbekistan, western Kyrgyzstan, extreme south-eastern Turkmenistan, western Tajikistan and northern Afghanistan.
himalayana Vigors, 1832 - Breeds eastern Afghanistan (south of Hindu Kush, from Nuristan south to Kandahar), northern Pakistan (southern at least to central Baluchistan, also in Murree Hills) and eastern in Himalayas (also north of main range, in upper Indus and associated valleys) to western Nepal.
yunnanensis Sharpe, 1902 - Southern China (from south-western Gansu and southern Shaanxi south to south-eastern Xizang, north-western and western Yunnan and western Sichuan, also south-western Guizhou) and northern Myanmar.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet