Siberian Nuthatch
Sitta arctica
The Siberian Nuthatch (Sitta arctica) is a legendary nuthatch found only in Russia, weighing about 21 g. The Siberian nuthatch is a bird species of the family Sittidae.
About the Siberian Nuthatch
The Siberian nuthatch is a bird species of the family Sittidae. For a long time considered as a subspecies of the Eurasian nuthatch, it was clearly differentiated in 2006 on the basis of morphological and molecular characters. It is on average marginally larger than the Eurasian nuthatch, and also differs in some morphological features such as the shape of its bill, the size of its claws and the colour of its underwing and outer rectrices. Its song has also been described as "distinctly different" from that of the Eurasian nuthatch, though without further clarification.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The Siberian nuthatch is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring about 15 cm (5.9 in) in length. The upperparts are bluish-grey and the underparts brilliant white. It is quite similar to the white-breasted subspecies of the Eurasian nuthatch encountered in the most northern regions of Eurasia, but is distinguished by its marginally larger average size and by several anatomical particularities that are more or less easy to identify. The upperparts are dull blue-grey, as in the subspecies S. europaea amurensis, but darker than in all other Eurasian nuthatch subspecies. Voice: The Siberian nuthatch's song is powerful. Some sonograms of calls and songs of the Siberian nuthatch were published in 1996, and the voice is described as "distinctly different" from that of the Eurasian nuthatch, but without further specification.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: June, July, August, September, October, with peak activity in July. It is a summer visitor species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Siberian Nuthatch?
- The Siberian nuthatch is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring about 15 cm (5.9 in) in length. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Siberian Nuthatch?
- The Siberian Nuthatch is a small sized bird weighing about 21 g.
- Where can you see a Siberian Nuthatch?
- The Siberian Nuthatch is endemic to Russia, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Siberian Nuthatch?
- The Siberian Nuthatch is most easily confused with the Bahama Nuthatch, the White-browed Nuthatch and the Przevalski's Nuthatch.
- Is the Siberian Nuthatch endangered?
- The Siberian Nuthatch is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Siberian Nuthatch for real
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