With a 291% increase between 1967 and 2023, the Nuthatch is on the green list of Birds of Conservation Concern, meaning it is not in need of conservation help at the moment. Management of our woodland nature reserves means it has the optimum conditions to thrive.
In woodland across England, Wales and parts of southern Scotland. Absent from Ireland. They will also visit gardens, especially in the winter. The population has been increasing over the past 50 years, meaning you are more likely to come across one now.
It feeds in the tops of trees, so can be quite tricky to see, but its series of loud whistles will usually give away its identity.
Nuthatches also have a unique talent – they’re the only bird in the UK that can climb down a tree trunk beak first! Its dagger-like beak is characteristic and you might see one in a garden, especially in the winter.
Take care though, nut-watchers, Nuthatch behaviour can be confused with that of the Treecreeper. It’s a similarly sized bird that likes to scamper up the side of trees in search of insects before flying back down.
Brilliant birds, month by month: what to see and where to go.
Around the size of a Great Tit, they often resemble a small woodpecker. They have a round blue-grey body with a long black bill and broad black stripe across the eye and down the back of the head. They have short legs and a short tail which they use to balance and move down tree trunks head first. They also have chestnut colouring on their flanks.
They feed mainly on insects such as small beetles and spiders but in autumn, they will switch to acorns, pine cones and yew seeds.
Natural tree holes within deciduous woodland, parkland and mature gardens.
April – June. The female will ensure the nest is safe from larger birds by reducing the size of the entrance with mud. They fill the nest with bark and dead leaves and only the female will incubate but both adults will help feed the chicks.
Two years.
No, they don't move far from where they hatched and breeding adults will remain in their territories all year round.
They are most abundant in the southern area of England and all of Wales but have recently expanded further into south Scotland.
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