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Talk:Eurasian nuthatch

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Featured articleEurasian nuthatch is a featured article; it (or a previous version of it) has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Wikipedia community. Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do so.
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  • There a few photographs on Commons that would be fine for the infobox. A broad landscape image would be suitable, because of the proportions of the range map, so "File:Sitta europaea wildlife 2 1.jpg" may be too tall and narrow for the infobox. What about the previous infobox image? Snowman (talk) 17:35, 7 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]

About the article

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  • Nuthatches eat nuts and sunflower seeds. I am surprised that they eat hazel nuts which are quite big and have a very hard shell, so I would be interested to know more about this. Some small and medium sized parrots have difficulty cracking whole hazel nuts. Do nuthatches swallow nuts and seeds whole like a pigeon or do the crack them open and eat the kernel like a parrot? Does the gizzard or stomach of the nuthatch have grinding capabilities? Snowman (talk) 17:54, 7 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • What does hacking at nuts stuck in trees achieve? Does hacking imply pecking like a woodpecker? Do nuthatches crack nuts by hacking at them? Snowman (talk) 18:13, 7 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]
  • Is collecting nuts from the ground common? Would they eat nuts including beachmast that has fallen to the ground. Snowman (talk) 20:56, 7 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Despite it being the origin of the name, I managed to omit this because it was in the family section of my book, since all nuthatches do it. Basically, they wedge and smash. It's a different action to the parrots, relying on the pointed bill rather than strong jaws. I've added this. The feeding section says that they will feed on the ground, especially outside the breeding season. Beech mast is an obvious candidate, but I haven't found specific mention of it being taken from the ground despite having an article Nuthatch Sitta europaea Demography, Beech Mast, and Territoriality entirely about this food item Jimfbleak - talk to me? 06:55, 8 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]
so that it is less likely that the nest will be taken over by Common Starlings—Snowman, I'm not happy about that. The Starling doesn't even occur in the north and east of the Nuthatch's range, and is unlikely to be a significant factor in the dense conifer forests of Russia. I've also referenced that Starlings do take over Nuthatch nests where both species occur (Nilsson). It may be a deterrent factor in the low density woodlands in western Europe, but it's a consequence rather than a reason. Jimfbleak - talk to me? 10:36, 8 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I note that you have already removed the text. I have had a look at the atlas again and I can confirm that it does say that about the birds of Great Britain and Ireland. I still think that the article would benefit from an explanation of why nesting birds could benefit from a nest build with mud to narrow the nest entrance. Snowman (talk) 11:15, 8 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not doubting the reference, but in GB and Ireland much of the woodland is fragmented and accessible to open country birds like starlings. The nuthatch's preferred habitat is dense old woodlands that starlings do not use, and a good part of the distribution is out of the range of the starling even if fragmented woodland is present. As I said, it may be a consequence in limited parts of western Europe, but it can't possibly be the reason. I take your point about a reason being desirable, but there is no clear indication of what it might be. The obvious suggestions would be to exclude other hole nesters or predators, but the only larger hole-nesters in dense woodland are woodpeckers, which make their own nests. The plastering would be no defence against a Great Spotted or Black Woodpecker, which would just remove it or go through the wood, and weasels could just climb in. If you can rephrase as a consequence, perhaps following the Nilsson ref in Predators and parasites, which is on the same lines, I would have no problem with that Jimfbleak - talk to me? 12:31, 8 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]
I've had a rethink and restored your edit with some qualification. I've preceded it with a new ref which suggests that the primary function is to reduce predation. Jimfbleak - talk to me? 18:15, 8 April 2014 (UTC)[reply]
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Hello! This is to let editors know that File:Kleiber Sitta_europaea-0447.jpg, a featured picture used in this article, has been selected as the English Wikipedia's picture of the day (POTD) for September 8, 2023. A preview of the POTD is displayed below and can be edited at Template:POTD/2023-09-08. For the greater benefit of readers, any potential improvements or maintenance that could benefit the quality of this article should be done before its scheduled appearance on the Main Page. If you have any concerns, please place a message at Wikipedia talk:Picture of the day. Thank you!  — Amakuru (talk) 11:17, 31 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Eurasian nuthatch

The Eurasian nuthatch (Sitta europaea) is a small passerine bird found throughout the Palearctic and in Europe. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-gray upperparts and a black eye-stripe. It is a vocal bird with a repeated loud dwip call. There are more than 20 subspecies in three main groups; birds in the west of the range have orange-buff underparts and a white throat, those in Russia have whitish underparts, and those in the east have a similar appearance to European birds, but lack the white throat.

Photograph credit: Isiwal

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