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Nuthatch

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                iNuthatches
   Male Eurasian Nuthatch
   Male Eurasian Nuthatch
         Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Aves
   Order:   Passeriformes
   Family:  Sittidae
            Lesson, 1828
   Genus:   Sitta
            Linnaeus, 1758

                                   Species

   22 species, see text

   The nuthatches are a family, Sittidae, of generally very similar small
   passerine birds found throughout the Northern hemisphere.

   The nuthatch family, Sittidae, traditionally contained 23 species. The
   subfamily Sittinae held the 22 species of “true” nuthatches, and the
   subfamily Tichodromadinae held a single species, the unique
   Wallcreeper, Tichodroma muraria, which is now separated in its own
   family, Tichodromadidae.

   Most nuthatches are woodland birds, although a few species have adapted
   to rocky habitats. They have the unusual ability to climb down trees
   head first, unlike species such as woodpeckers which can only go
   upwards.

   Nuthatches have big heads, short tails and powerful bills and feet.
   Their shape is distinctive, and all species are recognizable as
   nuthatches if one has been seen.

   They are generally omnivorous, taking insects, nuts and seeds. Most are
   resident, but the Red-breasted Nuthatch migrates from the north of its
   range.

   Nests are in holes or crevices. In some species the size of the hole is
   reduced by the building of a mud wall.

   This group gets its name from the habit of the Eurasian Nuthatch of
   wedging a nut in a crevice in a tree, and then hacking at it with its
   strong bill.

   The list of species below, all in the genus Sitta (Linnaeus, 1758), is
   probably the maximum. Some taxonomists consider that some of the
   indicated species are in fact conspecific.

   Family: Sittidae
     * Eurasian Nuthatch, Sitta europaea
     * Chestnut-vented Nuthatch, Sitta nagaensis
     * Kashmir Nuthatch, Sitta cashmirensis
     * Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch, Sitta castanea
     * White-tailed Nuthatch, Sitta himalayensis
     * White-browed Nuthatch, Sitta victoriae
     * Pygmy Nuthatch, Sitta pygmaea
     * Brown-headed Nuthatch, Sitta pusilla
     * Corsican Nuthatch, Sitta whiteheadi
     * Algerian Nuthatch, Sitta ledanti
     * Krüper's Nuthatch, Sitta krueperi
     * Chinese Nuthatch, Sitta villosa
     * Yunnan Nuthatch, Sitta yunnanensis
     * Red-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta canadensis
     * White-cheeked Nuthatch, Sitta leucopsis
     * White-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis
     * Western Rock Nuthatch, Sitta neumayer
     * Eastern Rock Nuthatch, Sitta tephronota
     * Velvet-fronted Nuthatch, Sitta frontalis
     * Yellow-billed Nuthatch, Sitta solangiae
     * Sulphur-billed Nuthatch, Sitta oenochlamys
     * Blue Nuthatch, Sitta azurea
     * Giant Nuthatch, Sitta magna
     * Beautiful Nuthatch, Sitta formosa

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuthatch"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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