Scientific name: Sitta europaea Linnaeus, 1758
Bird group: Nuthatches
Field characters. 14 cm. A short, plump bird with a strong, pointed bill, which actively moves on tree trunks. Blue-grey crown and upperparts, isabelline underparts with chestnut on the flanks; cheeks and throat white; black stripe through eye. Juvenile without chestnut. Moves on tree trunks with short jerky leaps, upwards, sideways or downwards with equal facility; does not use tail in climbing. Nuts and seeds wedged in crevices of bark and hammered open with bill. Flight is undulating, like woodpeckers. Nests in holes of trees; the entrance to the hole is sometimes reduced in size with hard mud. In winter sometimes found with roving flocks of tits.
Voice. A loud, metallic "chwit-chwit", and variants; a shrill repeated "tsit", a repeated loud, clear and piping "twee", and a very rapid trill.
Distribution. Fairly common breeding bird, but locally absent. Resident.
Habitat. Woods, parks, and large gardens with mature trees.
Food. Seeds and insects. Eats fruits, especially hazelnuts and pine seeds.