No.027 · Birds · Common

Nuthatch

Sitta europaea

A blue-grey, black-masked bird that runs down tree trunks head first. It plasters its nest hole with mud to make the entrance just the right size.

When to see a nuthatch

All year, mostly at dawn and by day.

What else is about in April

Time of day

Dawn
Day
Dusk
Night

Where to see a nuthatch in the UK

The New Forest. Oaks and beeches around Bolderwood and Lyndhurst; listen for the loud 'chwit' calls.

These are real places in Britain, the same ones the game uses. Check the reserve or landowner's own guidance before you go.

Nuthatch facts at a glance

Best time: Morning, all year. It calls loudly in early spring; look on oak and beech trunks.
Where in the game: the New Forest (ancient woodland)
Size: Length 14 cm
Wingspan: About 24 cm
Weight: About 22 g (BTO average)
Lifespan: Up to 11 years on record (BTO ringing)
Population: About 250,000 territories in the UK (BTO, 2016); up 280% 1967–2024
Status: Green (Birds of Conservation Concern 5, 2021)

Diet

Insects and spiders in summer; hazelnuts, beech mast and acorns in autumn and winter, wedged in bark and hammered open.

Habitat

Mature broadleaved woodland, especially oak and beech, and parkland with old trees.

Breeding

Nests in a hole in a tree (or nestbox) from April, the entrance narrowed with mud; typically 6–8 eggs, usually one brood.

Field signs

Loud, ringing 'twit-twit-twit' or 'chwit' calls
Mud-plastered rim to a nest hole
Nuts wedged in bark crevices
A bird descending a trunk head-first

Did you know?

Most tree-climbing birds, such as woodpeckers and treecreepers, climb upwards; the nuthatch also walks head-first down trunks.
The nuthatch plasters mud around its nest entrance to shrink it to exactly its own width, keeping larger birds out.
It has spread north across Britain since the 1970s (BTO) but is still scarce in northern Scotland.

Moments worth waiting for

Head-first descent all year, dawn and day
A nuthatch spirals down the beech trunk, head first, tapping a nut into a crack.
Plastering the nest hole March to April, day
A pair carries beakfuls of mud to a tree hole, shrinking the entrance to fit.

Photo tip

Sit near an oak or beech with a good spread of old trunks, or use a garden feeder in winter. A 400 mm lens from a low position works; use burst mode as it never stays still.

Be a good naturalist

A nest hole is protected while in use. Keep at least 20–30 m from the nest tree and never scrape or enlarge the entrance. Do not use playback of calls.