Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China (mainland), India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam.
India on Gangetic Plain and terai from south-central Punjab and eastern Rajasthan east to Bihar and West Bengal, and from northern Maharashtra east to Orissa and south to northern Andhra Pradesh, also in foothills of southern Western Ghats from southern Karnataka south through Nilgiris to Palghat hills (eastern Kerala and western Tamil Nadu). Also south-western Nepal and southern Bangladesh (Sundarbans).
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Indian Nuthatch (Sitta castanea) [XC166144]
by Frank Lambert from Melghat Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, India (song)
Indian Nuthatch (Sitta castanea) [XC409705]
by Jelle Scharringa from Melghat Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, India (call)
Subspecies
Forms a superspecies with Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea), Chestnut-vented Nuthatch (Sitta nagaensis), Kashmir Nuthatch (Sitta cashmirensis), Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch (Sitta cinnamoventris) and Burmese Nuthatch (Sitta neglecta). Formerly treated as conspecific with Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch (Sitta cinnamoventris) and Burmese Nuthatch (Sitta neglecta), but differs morphologically from both. Birds in southern Bangladesh (Sundarbans) presumed to belong to this species, rather than to Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch (Sitta cinnamoventris). Birds from Anantagiri, in north-eastern Andhra Pradesh (eastern India), described as subspecies prateri on basis of slightly longer bill and paler underparts, but variation slight and naming of geographical subspecies considered unwarranted.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
castanea Lesson, R, 1830 - Foothills of northern and central India (Western Ghats).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet