- nuthatch
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/nut"hach'/, n.any of numerous small, short-tailed, sharp-beaked birds of the family Sittidae that creep on trees and feed on small nuts and insects.[1300-50; ME notehache, nuthagge, nuthak, lit., nut hacker. See NUT, HACK1]
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Any of about 22 species (genus Sitta, family Sittidae) of songbirds that are 4–7.5 in. (9.5–19 cm) long and have a short, square tail, short neck, and thin, pointed bill. Most are forest dwellers; some live in rocky areas. Nuthatches search tree trunks and rocks for insects, often descending headfirst. They also eat seeds, which they may store for winter. The nest is a grass-or hair-lined cavity. Nuthatches are most common from Eurasia to Japan and southward; four species occur in North America. Most are bluish above and white or reddish below; there may be a black eye stripe or a cap.
European nuthatch (Sitta europaea)Bruce Coleman Ltd.* * *
▪ birdany of about 25 species of short-tailed, long-billed birds (bird) in the family Sittidae (order Passeriformes (passeriform)), known for their abilities to grip tree bark as they walk up, down, and around trunks and branches and to hang upside down on the underside of tree limbs as they forage for insects (insect) and seeds. For their abilities they are sometimes called “upside-down birds.” By exploring in areas ignored by many other birds, such as woodpeckers (woodpecker) (which travel up trees but not down), they find insects hidden in bark that other species overlook.Nuthatches exploit crevices in other ways. They often store seeds in bark crevices and remember their locations for months. They also use crevices to hold a hard seed in place while “hacking it”—using the full force of their bodies to pound on the seed with their bills. All species are cavity nesters.Nuthatches live around the world, except in South America. The best-known species in North America are the red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta canadensis), a stubby, grayish, rufous-breasted, 10-gram (0.35-ounce) bird that often boldly approaches humans in northern conifer groves (coniferous forest), and the white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis), a grayish, black-capped, white-breasted, 21-gram (0.74-ounce) bird that often frequents feeders, where it relishes sunflowers (sunflower) and suet.Sy Montgomery* * *
Universalium. 2010.
