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Nuthatch (Sitta Europaea)

Clickhere for the bird's sound.

This is a lovely colourful bird and of the two tree dwelling birds it is the only one that can creep downwards (with it's head downwards as well!). In both German and Dutch the bird is therefore called the Tree Sticker. It does not do much flying, it simply to cling on to trees. The bird seems to be much bigger than it actually is. The beak looks a bit like a woodpecker's and the whole bird makes a rather robust impression. Like the Tree Creeper it eats insects that it finds under the tree's bark. To to a certain degree it can even drill into the stem, just like the Great Spotted Woodpecker does, to get to beetle larvae living there.

The Nuthatch is not a shy bird.

In winter time the bird very frequently visits feeding tables in the garden. It is especially keen on peanuts, whether in a net or scattered on some surface. It will sometimes just sit on top of the feeding table, trying to keep other birds away. When you are lucky enough to have a garden in an area with lots of trees then this bird will certainly strike you as a lively and fascinating garden bird. And the bird is definitely a welcome visitor in the garden as hunts for larvae of beetles that are harmful for trees.

Often seen on feeding tables, where is is just as interested in the nuts as the titmice are.

This bird belongs to the family of Nuthatches (Sittidae). It is very common in my garden and can be seen in Holland all year round. The bird is 6" and weighs 23 grams. It usually lives in woodlands, gardens and parks. It eats insects and seeds. The sexes do not differ from one another. Nuthatch breeds in May or June, usually just once. The eggs are kept warmed for two weeks after which period the young stay in the nest for a relatively long time: two to three weeks. This is probably due to the fact that there may be six to eight eggs in the nest at once. The Nuthatch is a typical tree hole breeder.

Here you see a young Nuthatch.