Eurasian Nuthatch

Blue-grey upperparts, a distinctive black eye-stripe (eyeline) running from the bill to the sides of the neck, and whitish or buff underparts. Flanks and lower belly can be rufous-orange, varying by subspecies (e.g., more vivid buff/orange in western European forms).

Blue-grey back, black eyeline, whitish throat and breast, and the unique habit of moving down tree trunks headfirst.

Length: 14 cm, Wingspan: 22-24 cm, Weight: 17-25 g

A loud, ringing, repetitive 'quip-quip-quip' or clear whistling songs used for territorial defense and communication.

Insects, spiders, seeds, and nuts; wedges large items into crevices (like bark) to hammer them open with its strong bill.

Mature deciduous and mixed broadleaf forests, parklands, and large mature gardens with old trees.

Non-migratory resident

Nests in tree cavities, often reducing the entrance hole size with a mixture of mud. Clutch size is typically 6-9 eggs.

Treecreeper, which has a slender down-curved bill and can only climb up trees rather than down.

Helps control forest insect populations by foraging on tree bark, and provides nesting cavities for secondary cavity nesters.

Least Concern, with a stable population trend

Listen for their loud, ringing calls in mature deciduous or mixed woodlands, or watch backyard bird feeders where they readily take sunflower seeds and suet.

Nuthatches get their name from their habit of wedging nuts into cracks in tree bark and 'hacking' at them with their strong bills to eat the kernel.