About the Eurasian Nuthatch
The Eurasian nuthatch, wood nuthatch, or simply nuthatch, is a small passerine bird found throughout the Palearctic and in Europe. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-gray upperparts and a black eye-stripe. It is a vocal bird with a repeated loud dwip call. There are more than 20 subspecies in three main groups; birds in the west of the range have orange-buff underparts and a white throat, those in Russia have whitish underparts, and those in the east have a similar appearance to European birds, but lack the white throat.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
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.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Eurasian Nuthatch sounds like
Where the Eurasian Nuthatch lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Afghanistan.
When to see the Eurasian Nuthatch
Peak activity in January · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Brown-headed NuthatchSitta pusillaThe brown-headed nuthatch is a small songbird endemic to pine forests throughout the Southeastern United States.
Pygmy NuthatchSitta pygmaeaThe pygmy nuthatch is 9–11 cm (3.5–4.3 in) long and with a wingspan of 19.7 cm (7.8 in), and weighs 9.3–11.4 g (0.33–0.40 oz).
Velvet-fronted NuthatchSitta frontalisThe velvet-fronted nuthatch has the typical nuthatch shape, short tail and powerful bill and feet.
Side by side: Eurasian Nuthatch vs White-breasted Nuthatch · Eurasian Nuthatch vs Red-breasted Nuthatch · Eurasian Nuthatch vs Pygmy Nuthatch
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