Alternative name: Wood Nuthatch
- Sitta europaea
Includes: Siberian Nuthatch
Identification
12–17 cm (4¾-6¾ in)
- Blue grey upperparts
- Black eyestripe
- White below
- Chestnut vent
- Short tail
Distribution
Europe and Asia.
Fairly common to locally common in its range.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are 23 subspecies[1]:
- S. e. caesia: underparts rusty-red, vent dark reddish-brown
- S. e. europaea: Scandinavia and Russia to Volga and Vyatka basins and Ukraine
- S. e. asiatica: White supercillium and sometimes a white forehead
- central Russia east to the western shore of Lake Baikal, south to Kazakhstan and western Mongolia
- S. e. arctica: North-central Siberia to Anadyr River (eastern Russia) - sometimes split as Siberian Nuthatch
- S. e. hispaniensis: Iberian Peninsula
- S. e. atlas: Morocco
- S. e. cisalpina: southern Switzerland (south of the Alps), mainland Italy, Sicily, and western coastal Balkans, south to southwestern Montenegro
- S. e. levantina: Western Asia Minor, Levant and southern Turkey (east to Euphrates River)
- S. e. caucasica: Northern and north-eastern Turkey, Caucasus region and Transcaucasia
- S. e. rubiginosa: South-eastern Transcaucasia (Talyshskiye and Gory mountains) to northern Iran
- S. e. persica: Zagros Mountains (south-western Iran)
- S. e. seorsa: North-western China (eastern Tien Shan Mountains of northern Xinjiang)
- S. e. sakhalinensis: Sakhalin (Russia)
- S. e. takatsukasai: southern Kuril Islands (Iturup and Urup)
- S. e. clara: southern Kuril Islands (Kunashir and Shikotan) and northern Japan (Hokkaido)
- S. e. baicalensis: southeastern Siberia, from region south and east of Lake Baikal, east to the Sea of Okhotsk and northeastern China
- S. e. albifrons: northeastern Russia (southern Koryak Highlands and the Kamchatka Peninsula) and northern Kuril Islands (Paramushir)
- S. e. amurensis: South-eastern Russia to north-eastern China, Korea and Honshu (northern Japan)
- S. e. roselia: Southern Japan (south-eastern Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu)
- S. e. bedfordi: Cheju-Do Islands (Korea)
- S. e. hondoensis: central and southern Japan (Honshu, Shikoku, and northern Kyushu)
- S. e. sinensis: Central and eastern China
- S. e. formosana: Taiwan
Note: subspecies nebulosa, with range “S China (lowlands of s Yunnan)” is no longer recognzied. It is a junior synonym of nagaensis, a subspecies of Chestnut-vented Nuthatch
Habitat
Breeds in mixed and deciduous woods and parkland.
Behaviour
They travel head-first down trees and are often seen on the underside of branches. They also hang upside down in trees.
Breeding
It nests in holes, lined with grass and bark, in old trees. The clutch consists of 5-8 white, red speckled eggs.
A monogamous and territorial species. The size of the nest entrance is often reduced by plasterng with mud. Sometimes the interior is also plastered to protect against wind and rain.
Diet
The diet includes insects, seeds and nuts. Visits garden feeders in winter. Will store food in the autumn for retrieval in the winter months.
Vocalisation
Call: tui-tui-tui.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Wikipedia contributors. (2019, May 13). Eurasian nuthatch. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 08:00, May 29, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eurasian_nuthatch&oldid=896925491
- Grant, P.J., K. Mullarney, L. Svensson, D. Zetterstrom (1999) Collins Bird Guide: The Most Complete Field Guide to the Birds of Britain and Europe. Harpercollins Pub Ltd ISBN 0 00 219728 6
- Brazil, M. (1991) The Birds of Japan, Smithsonian Inst. Press.
- Brazil, M. (2018). Birds of Japan. Helm, London. ISBN 978-1-4729-1386-9
- Harrap, S., Christie, D.A. & Kirwan, G.M. (2019). Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/59914 on 13 May 2019).
- Harrap, S. & Quinn. D. (1995) Chickadees, Tits, Nuthatches & Treecreepers. Princeton Univ. Press.
- Red’kin, Y. and Konovalova, M. 2006. Systemic Notes on Asian Birds. 63. The eastern Asiatic races of Sitta europaea. Zool. Med. Leiden 80
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Eurasian Nuthatch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Eurasian_Nuthatch
External Links
Search the Gallery for Siberian Nuthatch: (none at time of edit December 2022)
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
