A tiny gray-brown nuthatch with white throat. Endemic to ponderosa pine forests of western mountains.
§ Quick facts
§ Encyclopedia
The pygmy nuthatch is a tiny songbird, native to western North America.
Source: Wikipedia — Pygmy nuthatch Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
§ Identification
Field marks. Small nuthatch with a gray-brown cap bordered below by a dark eye-line, a white throat and underparts, and a blue-gray back.
Similar species. Brown-headed Nuthatch (Southeast) has a browner cap; ranges do not overlap. White-breasted and Red-breasted nuthatches are larger and differently patterned.
Voice. A constant high, piping 'wee-bee' and rapid 'kit-kit-kit' chatter from busy flocks.
§ Diet & behavior
Diet. Insects, seeds, nuts; caches food in bark crevices.
Behavior. A tiny, intensely social nuthatch of western ponderosa pine forest; roosts communally (dozens packed in a cavity on cold nights) and breeds cooperatively with helpers.
§ Range
Western US, Mexico
§ Habitat
Ponderosa pine forests
§ Threats
Ponderosa pine loss to drought and fire.
§ Conservation status
According to the IUCN Red List, the pygmy nuthatch is currently classified as Least Concern.
§ What helps
Support western forest conservation.
§ Further reading
- Wikipedia — Pygmy nuthatch
- www.allaboutbirds.org — authoritative profile of Sitta pygmaea
- IUCN Red List — search for Sitta pygmaea
- GBIF occurrence records
- Encyclopedia of Life — Sitta pygmaea
§ Sources cited
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds
- National Audubon Society
- iNaturalist
- IUCN Red List
