Wood Nuthatch - Sitta europaea

Wood Nuthatch

Sitta europaea

Order : Passeriformes

Family : Sittidae ;

Biometrics :

Size : 14 cm
Wingspan :
Weight : 19 à 24 g

Longevity : 9 years

IUCN conservation status :

Extinct

Threatened

Least
concern

Extinc
in the Wild

Near
threatened

Not
evaluated

EX EW CR EN VU NT LC NE

Geographic range :

Synonyms : Obyknovenny Popolzen (ru), Nötväcka (sv), Trepador azul (es), Picchio muratore (it), Kleiber (al), Boomklever (nl), Wood Nuthatch (en)

Physical description :
Eurasian Nuthatch has blue-grey upperparts, with short tail. Underparts, chin and neck, are white, turning orange-red in upper breast, flanks, belly and undertail coverts. Wings have darker flight feathers, and are rounded and short.
Eurasian Nuthatch has a big blue-grey head, with black eye stripe, extending to scapulars. Cheeks are white, as chin and foreneck.
Blue-grey bill is long and pointed. Eyes are black. Legs and feet are pale orange-brown.
Both sexes are similar, with male slightly larger than female. Female is slightly duller than male.
Juveniles are similar to adults of same sex, but duller on crown and mantle, less coloured below, and with less distinct eye-stripe.

Voice :
Sound from CD 'Tous les Oiseaux d'Europe' by Jean C. Roché by courtesy of Sittelle and CEBA. Eurasian Nuthatch most common call is a short 'chwett' when excited, and repeated several times. It utters a high 'seet' or shorter 'sit' as contact call.
Song is a loud, slow series of whistles 'pwee-pwee-pwee-pwee-pwee', sometimes replaced by a rapid and excited trilling 'pipipipipi...'

Habitat : Eurasian Nuthatch lives in deciduous and mixed woodlands with some old trees to nest, or locally in coniferous forests, parks and large gardens.
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE: Eurasian Nuthatch is sedentary and widespread over most temperate Europe and Asia.

Behaviour : Eurasian Nuthatch is able to climb down trunks and branches, as well as up. They move obliquely, hanging from the upper foot and propped by the lower one. It doesn't use its tail as a woodpecker, but its long black claws.
To eat some acorn or hazel-nut, they carry them to a branch, wedging them in a bark-crevice, and hacking them open with strong and noisy whacks of the bill. They also frequent bird-feeders in winter, where they are very aggressive, driving away other birds. They are very active and agile. They hop rapidly on the ground.
Eurasian Nuthatch is often seen in pair or solitary. It roosts in holes in trees or in rocks.
Courtship displays start in early March. Male displays the bright colour of its flanks, fluffing its plumage and opening the wings, while it fans its tail to show the white patches of tail feathers.
It defends its territory, calling 'chwett-chwett' and repeating it.

Flight : Eurasian Nuthatch performs short flights from tree to tree. To fly longer distances, it performs an undulating flight outside the trees.

Reproduction-nesting : Eurasian Nuthatch nests in holes or crevices, but they don't excavate them. It may be an old woodpecker hole. It reduces the entrance, plastering it with mud, building a hard mud rim around the hole, until it makes the appropriate size. They also use smelly resin as predators' repellent.
The interior is lined with bits of bark flakes, grass, hair and feathers.
Female lays 6 to 8 white eggs, speckled with brown. Incubation lasts about 13 to 18 days. When they hatch, chicks are covered with sparse dark grey down. They are fed by both parents, mainly on insects from bark and leaves. Young fledge at about 23 to 26 days after hatching.
This species produces only one brood per season, sometimes two if the first is lost.

Food habits : Eurasian Nuthatch feeds on insects, spiders, seeds and nuts.

Protection / threats : Eurasian Nuthatch is common and widespread in its range.

Other links :
Iucn
Birdlife

Specification sheet created by Nicole Bouglouan

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