Bird Guide

Eurasian Nuthatch vs White-breasted Nuthatch

Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)

Eurasian Nuthatch

Sitta europaea

Small20 gForest

The adult male of the nominate subspecies, S. e. europaea is 14 cm (5.5 in) long with a 22.5–27 cm (8.9–10.6 in) wingspan. It weighs 17–28 g (0.6–1 oz). It has blue-grey upperparts, a black eye-stripe and whitish throat and underparts. The flanks and lower belly are orange-red, mottled with white on the undertail. The stout bill is dark grey with a paler area on the base of the lower mandible, the iris is dark brown and the legs and feet are pale brown or greyish. Most other members of the S. e. Voice: The Eurasian nuthatch calls frequently, usually with a loud, sharp dwip normally repeated twice, sometimes more often if excited. It has a shrill sirrrr or tsi-si-si alarm call, and a thin tsit pre-flight call. The song is a slow whistled pee-pee-pee with many variants, including a faster version, and may be intermingled with the call. The song of the distinctive S. e.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Sonothèque ADVL · CC0
Photo: (c) Frank Vassen, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

White-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta carolinensis

Small21 gForest

The white-breasted nuthatch is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring about 15.5 cm (6.1 in) in length. Like other members of its genus, it has a large head, short tail, short wings, a powerful bill and strong feet; it is 13–14 cm (5.1–5.5 in) long, with a wingspan of 20–27 cm (7.9–10.6 in) and a weight of 18–30 g (0.63–1.06 oz). The adult male of the nominate subspecies, S. c. carolinensis, has pale blue-gray upperparts, a glossy black cap (crown of the head), and a black band on the upper back. Voice: Like other nuthatches, the white-breasted nuthatch is a noisy bird with a range of vocalizations. The male's mating song is a rapid nasal qui-qui-qui-qui-qui-qui-qui. The contact call between members of a pair, given most frequently in the fall and winter is a thin squeaky nit, uttered up to 30 times a minute.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recording: Jonathon Jongsma · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Mark Apgar · CC BY 4.0

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Eurasian Nuthatch and White-breasted Nuthatch.