Pygmy Nuthatch

Pygmy Nuthatch

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A small, social, and noisy nuthatch of western forests.

Description

• Small nuthatch; climbs head-first down tree trunks.
• Crown gray-brown.
• Back gray.
• Belly buffy white.

• Size: 9-11 cm (4-4 in)
• Weight: 9-11 g (0.32-0.39 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes alike

Sound

Calls are shrill piping notes, "pip-pip--pip-pip-pip." Also high chipping and squeaky notes.

Conservation Status

Pygmy Nuthatch serves as an indicator of forest health of ponderosa pine forests, and is listed in several states as a species of special concern. It is less common in forests heavily managed for timber.

Other Names

Petite sittelle, Sittelle pygmée (French)
Sita enana, Saltapalo enano (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Pygmy Nuthatch is one of only two nuthatch species in the world known to have helpers at the nest. Offspring from previous years help their parents raise young.

• Unique among songbirds, the Pygmy Nuthatch uses three energy-saving mechanisms on cold nights: it uses a protected roost site (hole in a tree), huddles with other nuthatches, and lets its body temperature drop (hypothermia).

• No records exist of Pygmy Nuthatches roosting alone. They always huddle in a group, sometimes with more than 100 in a single cavity.

Sources used to construct this page:

Kingery, H. E., and C. K. Ghalambor. 2001. Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea). In The Birds of North America, No. 567. (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.