A small, compact woodland bird that walks headfirst down tree trunks — the only bird capable of descending a vertical surface face-down, and a remarkably efficient hoarder of seeds and insects.
Headfirst down the trunk
The nuthatch is the only bird in the world that routinely walks headfirst down vertical tree trunks. Other birds (treecreepers, woodpeckers) go up or across; the nuthatch alone descends head-down, using its powerful legs and feet in alternating steps rather than the woodpecker’s tail-bracing technique. This gives it access to bark crevices at angles invisible from above.
The plastered doorway
Nuthatches nest in existing cavities — holes made by woodpeckers or natural rot. If the entrance hole is too large, the nuthatch reduces it to its preferred size by plastering the rim with mud — mixed with insect secretions to a mortar-like consistency. The door is reduced until only the nuthatch can squeeze through. The plaster can be 2–3 cm thick and is hard when dry.
Seed caching
Nuthatches are enthusiastic food hoarders. In autumn, they collect sunflower seeds, beech mast, and insects, wedging them into bark crevices and covering them with lichen or bark fragments. They retrieve these caches individually and have good spatial memory for cache locations.
Wedging food
To open hard-shelled seeds and nuts, the nuthatch wedges them firmly into a bark crevice, then hammers them open with repeated blows of its strong, straight bill — hence the name (earlier form: “nut-hack”).
Garden birds
Nuthatches readily visit garden feeders with sunflower seeds and peanuts, and have expanded their range northward in Britain as woodland has matured and winter feeding has increased.
Find more birds by letter
Nuthatch starts with N and ends with H. Browse other birds along the same letter.
Birds that contain a letter from "Nuthatch":