Pygmy Nuthatch
A species of Nuthatches Scientific name : Sitta pygmaea Genus : Nuthatches
Pygmy Nuthatch, A species of Nuthatches
Botanical name: Sitta pygmaea
Genus: Nuthatches
Content
Description People often ask General Info
Description
Measurements: Length: 3.5-4.3 in (9-11 cm) Weight: 0.3-0.4 oz (9-11 g) Wingspan: 19.7 cm (7.75 in) It ranges from southern British Columbia south through various discontinuous parts of the western U.S. (northwest U.S., Sierra Nevada range, southern Rockies, etc.), to central Mexico. It is usually found in pines (especially ponderosa pines), Douglas-firs, and other conifers. Pygmy nuthatches clamber acrobatically in the foliage of these trees, feeding on insects and seeds; less often they creep along limbs or the trunk like bigger nuthatches. Pygmy nuthatches nest in cavities in dead stubs of conifers, lining the bottom of the cavity with pine-cone scales, plant down, and other soft plant and animal materials. They may fill cracks or crevices around the entrance with fur; the function of this behavior is unknown. The female lays 4–9 eggs, which are white with fine reddish-brown spotting. She does most of the incubation, which lasts about 16 days. The young leave the nest about 22 days after hatching. This species is highly gregarious. A nesting pair may have other birds as helpers. Outside the breeding season, this bird wanders in noisy flocks. It also roosts communally; over 100 birds have been seen huddled in a single tree cavity. All plumages are similar, with a warm gray cap, blue-gray upper-parts, and whitish underparts. The only feature not seen in the photograph is a whitish spot on the nape, particularly in worn plumage (summer). Vocalizations are highly varied chirps, peeps, and chattering. This species is very similar to the brown-headed nuthatch of the southeastern U.S. Their ranges have no overlap. The pygmy nuthatch features prominently in the climax of the 2000 film Charlie's Angels, in which Cameron Diaz's character, Natalie, discovers the location of the villains' fortress by identifying the call of the pygmy nuthatch, which she says only live in Carmel, California—though the bird shown is not a pygmy nuthatch, which in any case is found in a much wider range. (The Hollywood impostor is a Venezuelan troupial, Icterus icterus.) 
Size
11 cm (4.25 in)
Colors
Gray
Blue
Cream
Life Expectancy
1-8 years
Nest Placement
Cavity
Clutch Size
5 - 9 eggs
Incubation Period
1 - 2 broods
Number of Broods
12 - 17 days
Nestling Period
14 - 22 days
Feeding Habits
Pygmy Nuthatch primarily consume arthropods and seeds. During breeding, their diet is rich in insects such as beetles and caterpillars, foraging on pine trees and prying under bark. In the winter, they may eat predominantly pine seeds, but some retain the insect-rich diet. These birds cache seeds year-round, inserting them into tree crevices for later consumption, seldom feeding on the ground or catching prey mid-flight.
Habitat
Pygmy Nuthatch predominantly inhabit long-needled pine forests, especially favoring older, open stands of ponderosa pine. They also dwell in areas with Jeffrey, Bishop, Coulter, Monterey, lodgepole, and Arizona white pines, sometimes mingled with oak, quaking aspen, maple, Douglas-fir, or white fir. Essential for pygmy Nuthatch are snags for cavity nesting, resulting in greater numbers in less-logged forests. They thrive at altitudes up to 10,000 feet in California and even higher in Mexico, residing in a variety of pines like Montezuma and Apache.
Nest Behavior
Pygmy Nuthatch's nesting period involves both sexes, and sometimes previous offspring, in preparing the cavity and lining the nest. Construction coincides with egg-laying, with the pair continually lining the nest with various materials for insulation and comfort.
Nest Characteristics
Pygmy Nuthatch typically nests in cavities of ponderosa pines or other conifers, sometimes in quaking aspens. They prefer woodpecker holes or natural cavities which they may excavate or enlarge. Nests are 5-10 inches deep and 1-6 inches across, lined with bark, moss, grass, fur, and feathers.
Dite type
Insectivorous
People often ask
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
Hulled Sunflower Seeds
Suet
Peanuts
Peanut Hearts
Mealworms
Bird Feeder Type
Large Tube Feeder
Small Tube Feeder
Suet Cage
Large Hopper
Small Hopper
Platform
Sounds
Call
Recording location: United States
Call
Recording location: United States
Behavior
Pygmy Nuthatch exhibit remarkable social and cooperative behaviors. They partake in cooperative breeding, with kin often assisting in rearing offspring. Pygmy Nuthatch are also known for their assertive defense strategies against potential nest predators such as squirrels. They form large, sociable winter flocks, interacting and foraging with diverse species. In frigid conditions, they adeptly use communal roosting in cavities and controlled hypothermia for survival, a strategy paralleled only by the Vaux's Swift in North America.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Nuthatches Genus
Nuthatches Species
Pygmy Nuthatch 
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