Pygmy Nuthatch

Overview

The pygmy nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea) is a tiny songbird native to western North America. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Size: 9–11 cm long, weighing 9.3–11.4 g, with a 19.7 cm wingspan.
• Plumage: Warm gray cap, blue-gray upper-parts, and whitish underparts, often with a whitish spot on the nape in worn plumage.
• Tail: Displays a white subterminal band in flight.
• Vocalizations: Highly varied chirps, peeps, and chattering.

Habitat

Found from southern British Columbia through various discontinuous parts of the western U.S. to central Mexico. Usually inhabits pines (especially ponderosa pine), Douglas-fir, and other conifers.

Diet

Feeds on insects and seeds while clambering acrobatically in tree foliage, occasionally creeping along limbs or trunks like larger nuthatches.

Did you know?

This highly gregarious species may nest with helpers and roost communally, with over 100 birds observed huddled in a single tree cavity.