Eastern Rock Nuthatch

Sitta tephronota

Least ConcernRareInvertebratesRockyCavity nestSmall · 35 g

About the Eastern Rock Nuthatch

The eastern rock nuthatch is a species of bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is found in southwest and central Asia, from eastern Turkey east through Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Iran, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan, to northwestern Pakistan. Some authors have used the name Persian nuthatch for the species.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

ID tip

Eastern rock nuthatch is 15–16 cm long. It is one of the least brightly coloured nuthatches, with pale blue-grey upperparts, a white breast, and the belly grading from white to pale orange-buff on the under-tail coverts. The head has a bold black eyestripe. The subspecies range in size from smaller in the east, to largest in the west; S. t. iranica and S. t. tephronota are the smallest, at 30–39 g, while S. t. dresseri at 42.7–55 g is the largest. This last subspecies, while not as long-bodied as the giant nuthatch, is the heaviest in the entire family.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where it lives

Regular range

When to see it

Peak activity in May · a summer visitor species across most of its range

Easily confused with

Learn the Eastern Rock Nuthatch for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

Play BeakBrain

Every photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.