A large nuthatch with a black back streaked white, bright blue back and shoulders, and orange underparts, it forages on large trees in wet high-elevation evergreen forest.
The back is black with white streaks; the upper back, rump, and shoulders are bright blue, the underparts are orange, and the face is pale.
In high-elevation evergreen broadleaf forest, it moves through the middle and upper canopy of large trees. It searches bark, lichens, and epiphytes for insects and larvae and sometimes joins mixed-species flocks.
IUCN Red List · Vulnerable (VU) · Global
A market survey in Tuensang, Nagaland, recorded five Beautiful Nuthatches between May 2009 and April 2010. The paper lists a mean body weight of 10 g and a price of INR 40.