Pygmy Nuthatch
Sitta pygmaea
Small nuthatch of coniferous forests in western North America. Note dark grayish-brown cap and buffy underparts with grayish sides. Very similar plumage to Brown-headed Nuthatch, but no range overlap. Usually occurs in small flocks high in the crowns of pine trees, often mixed with other songbirds. Listen for cute pips and squeaks.
Identification
Measurements:<p>It ranges from southern British Columbia south through various discontinuous parts of the western U.S. (northwest U.S., Sierra Nevada range, southern Rockies, etc.), to central Mexico. It is usually found in pines (especially ponderosa pines), Douglas-firs, and other conifers. Pygmy nuthatches clamber acrobatically in the foliage of these trees, feeding on insects and seeds; less often they creep along limbs or the trunk like bigger nuthatches.<p>Pygmy nuthatches nest in cavities in dead stubs of conifers, lining the bottom of the cavity with pine-cone scales, plant down, and other soft plant and animal materials. They may fill cracks or crevices around the entrance with fur; the function of this behavior is unknown. The female lays 4–9 eggs, which are white with fine reddish-brown spotting. She does most of the incubation, which lasts about 16 days. The young leave the nest about 22 days after hatching.<p>This species is highly gregarious. A nesting pair may have other birds as helpers. Outside the breeding season, this bird wanders in noisy flocks. It also roosts communally; over 100 birds have been seen huddled in a single tree cavity.<p>All plumages are similar, with a warm gray cap, blue-gray upper-parts, and whitish underparts. The only feature not seen in the photograph is a whitish spot on the nape, particularly in worn plumage (summer). Vocalizations are highly varied chirps, peeps, and chattering.<p>This species is very similar to the brown-headed nuthatch of the southeastern U.S. Their ranges have no overlap.<p>The pygmy nuthatch features prominently in the climax of the 2000 film Charlie's Angels, in which Cameron Diaz's character, Natalie, discovers the location of the villains' fortress by identifying the call of the pygmy nuthatch, which she says only live in Carmel, California—though the bird shown is not a pygmy nuthatch, which in any case is found in a much wider range. (The Hollywood impostor is a Venezuelan troupial, Icterus icterus.)
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Sitta pygmaea
- Authority
- Vigors, 1839
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Sittidae
- Genus
- Sitta
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Large Elaenia
Elaenia spectabilis
Medium-sized migratory flycatcher found at forest edges, in second growth, and along streams. As with other elaenia species, it has an olive-brown back and yellowish belly. Note the three wingbars and short crest. Very similar to Yellow-bellied Elaenia, but it is larger and has smaller crest with no white and three (not two) wingbars. The song is a loud whistle while the dawn song is series of “twee-wee-tweet” notes.
Slaty Antwren
Myrmotherula schisticolor
Small, warblerlike bird of humid evergreen forest in tropical foothills and locally in lowlands. Usually in pairs, foraging in tangles and leaf clusters at low to middle levels in forest understory, often with mixed-species feeding flocks; easily overlooked. Note the rather short tail. Male gray overall with blackish throat and breast patch and white wingbars. Female notably drab brownish overall, with paler throat and eyering; best identified by nearby presence of male.
Pale Spiderhunter
Arachnothera dilutior
A medium-sized bird of lowland and foothill forest and edge with a very long curved bill. Has a preference for banana plants. Grayish on the head and back with olive-green wings, a pale gray throat and chest, and a pale yellow belly. Note the yellow eye-ring and white tips to the undertail. Somewhat similar to Naked-faced Spiderhunter, but smaller and paler. Also similar to females of several sunbird species, but larger and longer-billed. Voice includes a sharp, nasal “rek!”
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