General

Pygmy Nuthatch: Small nuthatch with blue-gray upperparts and pale yellow breast. Head has a dark gray-brown cap, pale spot on nape, and thick black eye-line; throat is white. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Pygmy Nuthatch: Resident locally from southern British Columbia, eastward to the Black Hills of South Dakota, and southward into Mexico. Primary habitat consists of ponderosa pine forests with undergrowth of bunchgrass; also occurs in stands of other pines, Douglas firs, and western larch.

Listen to Call

Voice Text

"tee-dee, tee-dee", "wee-bee, wee-bee"

Interesting Facts

 The Pygmy Nuthatch was first described in 1839 by Nicholas Aylward Vigors, the Irish zoologist and politician.

 It is one of only two nuthatch species in the world known to have helpers at the nest. Offspring from previous years help their parents raise young.

 No records exist of these birds roosting alone. They always huddle in a group, sometimes with more than 100 in a single cavity.

 A group of nuthatches are collectively known as a "jar" of nuthatches.

Author

Gary Owen Dick