The Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europea



Despite its Italian name Picchio Muratore (“picchio” means woodpecker), it does not belong to the family of Woodpeckers but to the Nuthatch family Sittidae.
It is 16 cm long and its plumage is blue-grey above with reddish rust-coloured underparts.
Its throat and chin are white and it has a black eyestripe.
Its flight is not very fast but extremely light.
It has a preference for timber tree thickets full of bushes and small trees especially oak and chestnut trees.
It is not fond of coniferous woods.
It feeds on insects, spiders, beechnuts, hazelnuts and different kinds of berries and seeds which the bird hoards in the crevices of trees.
It finds its food on branches, the crevices of bark, or else seizes its prey by jumping on it rapidly when it flies close by.
Like the woodpecker, the Nuthatch has the habit of wedging a nut in a crevice in a tree, and then hacking at it with its strong bill.
A special characteristic of the Eurasian Nuthatch is its habit of swallowing a large amount of sand and pebbles in order to facilitate digestion.
It also tends to climb up trees, even upside down, with rapid spiral movements aided by its tail.