Nuthatches (Sitta europaea) are a small passerine bird belonging to the family Sittidae. They have blue-grey upperparts and a long black stripe through the eye. The underparts are pale reddish-brown. They are active, robust, short-tailed birds that creep down the trunks and branches of trees head first.
The Nuthatch is full of character and often a noisy interloper, especially at garden feeding stations. They have a wide range of calls and their song is a rapid series of piping notes which is very loud the most common sound is “chit chit chit chit”.
The Nuthatch derives its name from the word ‘nuthak’, which is roughly translated ‘nut hacker’, this refers to them to smashing open the nuts after wedging them into a crevice.
They can often be seen in parkland and large gardens with trees, but their preferred habitat is mature deciduous woodland. They like to feed on various seeds and invertebrates which form an important part of their diet. They also enjoy peanuts after extracting them from the feeder and will wedge them in bark crevices and break them into pieces by hammering at them with their bills. The beak is one of the most obvious features of the Nuthatch, it is not as strong as a woodpecker to drill into wood but instead, it is used to removing pieces of bark that allows the bird to reach invertebrates.
Particularly during the wintertime, they are easily attracted to hanging nut feeders and they are increasingly visiting our gardens for nuts and sunflower hearts.
Haith's SUPERCLEAN™ hearts provide high calorific value and high-energy to keep garden birds healthy. They're universally well-known for keeping bird feeding simple yet effective. The sheer amount of birds they appeal to is sensational, which is why they feature in many of our high-energy bird foods.
Also, our Premium Peanuts are one of the simplest and most beneficial ways to feed garden birds. They're high in calories and oils and birds love them. Premium peanuts are chosen for their quality, colour and variety. When it comes to picking nuts, Haith's know what to look for! Importantly though, the quality of nuts available varies greatly and poor quality ones can actually be harmful to birds. So only ever buy the best quality - which you can always be sure of from Haith's.
Over recent years the Nuthatch population has thankfully increased rapidly and - according to the BTO Garden Bird Watch data - their range has now expanded northwards into Scotland - this has been supported by the UK’s warming climate and food provided by householders.
Bird feeding is a necessity, but it's also a wonderful way to spend a day, and - with the help of Haith’s - you can find the correct bird diet to help the birds thrive and survive plus breed successfully this spring.
Written by Tina Jakes
