Nuthatch
Scientific name: Sitta europaea
Quick facts
Common names: nuthatch, European nuthatch
Scientific name: Sitta europaea
Family: Sittidae (nuthatches)
Habitat: broadleaved woodland, sometimes visits gardens
Diet: insects and invertebrates, seeds and nuts
Predators: sparrowhawks take adults; chicks and eggs are vulnerable to a range of predators
Origin: native
The nuthatch is a small bird, about the size of a great tit and is a little like a small woodpecker! It is very distinctive with blue on top, orange breast and a black eye stripe that leads to its long, black pointed beak. In summer they feed on small invertebrates, taken from the trees, where it can be seen scuttling up and down the trunks and branches (tree creepers by contrast walk up a trunk and fly down to the next tree).
In winter they feed on nuts and seeds, often having hidden them in the bark to be eaten later. They nest in holes in trees, often former woodpecker holes.
