The Siberian nuthatch (Sitta arctica) is a bird species of the family Sittidae. For a long time considered as a subspecies of the Eurasian nuthatch (S. europaea), it was clearly differentiated in 2006 on the basis of morphological and molecular characters. It is on average larger than the Eurasian nuthatch and also differs in some morphological features such as the shape of its bill, the size of its claws and the color of its underwing and outer rectrices. Its song has also been described as "distinctly different" from that of the Eurasian nuthatch, though without further clarification.
The Eurasian nuthatch, nominate subspecies S. e. europaea, strongly resembles the Siberian nuthatch, but they are not directly related among the nuthatches.Sergei Buturlin described the Siberian nuthatch in 1907.
The Siberian nuthatch was described in 1907 under its current name S. arctica, by the Russian ornithologist Sergei Buturlin, based on a specimen (holotype) from Verkhoïansk.[3] In 1916, Buturlin proposed a division of the family Sittidae into several subfamilies, genera and subgenera. He placed Sitta arctica within a monotypic genus, Arctositta(Buturlin, 1916), judging that its morphology is sufficiently distinct from other nuthatches.[4][2] In 1928, German ornithologist Otto Kleinschmidt linked the genus Arctositta to the Eurasian nuthatch group (S. europaea),[5] and the Siberian nuthatch was subsequently considered a subspeciesSitta europaea arctica of the Eurasian nuthatch.[2]
In 2006, ornithologists Yaroslav Red'kin and Maria Konovalova published a comprehensive review of the East Asian subspecies of the Eurasian nuthatch, proposing the subspecies S. e. arctica to be elevated to species status, in recognition of its clearly distinct morphology from the other subspecies and the fact that the Siberian nuthatch lives in partial sympatry with Sitta europaea while showing little or no hybridization.[2] The split was accepted by the British Ornithologists' Union in 2012.[6] These morphological analyses are consistent with mitochondrial DNA analyses also performed in 2006, which showed a large divergence (10% for the ND2 gene) between arctica and europaea.[7] The decision was followed by the ornithologists Nigel J. Collar and John D. Pilgrim in 2007[8] and taken up by the International Ornithological Congress in its version 1.6 (30 June 2008).[9] German ornithologist Hans Edmund Wolters proposed the division of the genus Sitta into subgenera in 1975–1982. The Siberian nuthatch is placed in Sitta (Sitta) (Linnaeus, 1758).[10] According to the International Ornithological Congress and Alan P. Peterson, no subspecies are distinguished.[11][12]
Phylogeny
In 2014, Eric Pasquet and colleagues published a phylogeny based on nuclear and mitochondrial DNA of 21 nuthatch species.[13] Within the "europaea" group, the white-tailed nuthatch (S. himalayensis) – and hence the white-browed nuthatch (S. victoriae), although not included in the study – appears to be basal, and the Eurasian nuthatch is related to the chestnut-vented nuthatch (S. nagaensis) and the Kashmir nuthatch (S. cashmirensis). Indian nuthatch (S. castanea), Beautiful nuthatch (S. cinnamoventris), Burmese nuthatch (S. neglecta) and Siberian nuthatch are not included in the study.[13] The "europaea" group is a sister group to the two rock nuthatches, the western rock nuthatch (S. neumayer) and the eastern rock nuthatch (S. tephronota), and these two clades diverged from each other thirteen million years ago. In 2020, a new phylogeny was published covering the genus more comprehensively: it includes more than four species mentioned above and uses three mitochondrial and two nuclear genes. The three species from South Asia (Indian, beautiful and Burmese nuthatches) are found to be related to the Kashmir nuthatch, but surprisingly, the Siberian nuthatch is recovered in an own branch that is quite distant from the Eurasian nuthatch of which it was long considered a subspecies.[14]
In 1996, the Russian ornithologist Vladimir Leonovitch and his collaborators proposed a biogeographical hypothesis to explain the differentiation of nuthatches in northeast Siberia. During the Pleistocene glaciations, certain glacial refuges seem to have allowed the survival of at least parts of the Siberian fauna and flora. Populations related to Sitta europaea could have survived in these refuges, in this case the Anadyr basin, where Sitta arctica could have differentiated, and southern Kamchatka, where the subspecies S. e. albifrons could have diverged from the other subspecies of the Eurasian nuthatch.[15]
Distribution map of the Siberian nuthatch and the different subspecies of the Eurasian nuthatch in Asia.[2]
Sitta arctica
Sitta europaea europaea
Sitta europaea asiatica
Sitta europaea albifrons
Sitta europaea amurensis
Sitta europaea amurensis form "hondoensis"
Description
The Siberian nuthatch is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring about 15cm (5.9in) in length.[3] The upperparts are bluish-grey and the underparts brilliant white. It is quite similar to the white-breasted subspecies of the Eurasian nuthatch encountered in the most northern regions of Eurasia, but is characterized by a larger average size and by several anatomical particularities that are more or less easy to identify. The upperparts are dull blue-grey, as in the S. europaea amurensis subspecies, but darker than in all other Eurasian nuthatch subspecies.[2] The eyestripe is black, thinner and shorter than in the latter.[16] Red'kin and Konovalova of the Moscow Museum say there is no clear mark on the forehead and above this black line, although such a mark is present in some subspecies of S. europaea.[2] Unlike S. europaea, the rufous brown of the rump extends further down the flanks; the underwing-coverts are dark gray (not pale), the outer rectrices are white for more than half their length, and there is no apparent sexual dimorphism.[2]
The Siberian nuthatch's bill is longer and narrower than in the various subspecies of the Eurasian nuthatch, with its upper margin completely or almost straight and its lower margin curved upward. The base of the bill is densely covered with long feathers.[16] The wing is more pointed than in the Eurasian nuthatch, and the seventh primary remige is equal in size to the second, whereas it is smaller than the latter in the Eurasian nuthatch.[17] The tarsus is shorter (in absolute terms) than in all subspecies of the European nuthatch, but the hind claw is clearly more developed, equalling the remainder of its toe in length (around 10mm (0.39in)).[2] The male averages 14.8cm (5.8in), while the female averages 15.1cm (5.9in), with wingspans of 25.7cm (10.1in) and 25.2cm (9.9in), respectively. In males and females, respectively, the folded wing averages 86.4mm (3.40in) and 83.9mm (3.30in), the bill 18.6mm (0.73in) and 19.1mm (0.75in), the tail 49.9mm (1.96in) and 46.7mm (1.84in), and the tarsus 17.0mm (0.67in) and 16.9mm (0.67in). The adult male weighs about 21.2 pounds (9,600g) and two females weighed 19.7 pounds (8,900g) and 22.1 pounds (10,000g).[2]
From left to right, Sitta arctica, S. europaea europaea and S. e. asiatica. In the Siberian nuthatch, note the straight, thin beak, the finer and shorter black loral line, the reddish rump extending over the flanks and the large rear claw.
Ecology and behavior
During fall and winter, the Siberian nuthatch migrates, forming mixed-species foraging flocks with the Eurasian nuthatch subspecies S. e. asiatica and S. e. baicalensis.[2][18]
Vocalizations
The Siberian nuthatch's song is powerful.[19] Some sonograms of calls and songs of the Siberian nuthatch were published in 1996,[15] and the voice is described as "distinctly different" from that of the Eurasian nuthatch, but without further specification.[2][20]
Breeding
Available data on the ecology of the species are very patchy. Observations in 1994 showed that pairs had already formed by May 15. Like other nuthatches, notably the Eurasian nuthatch, this species occasionally reuses the nest of a Great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major) and plasters the entrance with mud in order to reduce its diameter. The young observed fledged between June 30 and July 4.[19]
Distribution and habitat
The Siberian nuthatch is endemic to Russia and lives in central and northeastern Siberia. In the west, its distribution begins around the 105th meridian east,[21] near the upper reaches of the Nizhnyaya Tunguska River and Vilyuy River in the north (to around the 65th or 67th parallel north[17]) and those of the Lena River in the south. In the east it does not go beyond the lower reaches of the Anadyr River, the northwestern Koryak Mountains and the sources of the Punjina River. The distribution of the Siberian nuthatch does not reach the coastal areas, neither the Bering Sea nor the Sea of Okhotsk.[2][17] The main part of its distribution ends in the south, where the distribution of the Eurasian nuthatch subspecies asiatica begins, and in the east it is replaced in the Kamchatka peninsula by S. e. albifrons.[22]
The threat level of the Siberian nuthatch is assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in October 2016, which considers the species to be of "least concern".[1] Indeed, according to BirdLife International data the range of this bird is vast, covering 3,910,000km2 (1,510,000sqmi), and its population is large and stable, not warranting the assumption of a higher threat level.[23]
1 2 Buturlin, Sergei Aleksandrovich (1907). Neue Ost-Asiatische Formen. Vol.15. Ornithologische Monatsberichte. p.79-80.
↑ Buturlin, Sergei Aleksandrovich (1916). "A short review of Nuthatches (Fam. Sittidae)". Works of the Imperial Society of Petrograd Naturalists. 44 (2): 145–173.
↑ Kleinschmidt, Otto (1928). "Berajah: zoographia infinita". Die Realgattung Kleiber, Sitta Auto-Sitta (Kl.). 20: 22.
1 2 Leonovich, Vladimir Vladimirovich; Demina, G.V.; Veprintseva, Olga Dmitriyevna (1996). "Обыкновенный поползень ( Sitta europaea L.) и" малые "поползни ( S. villosa Verreaux, S. krueperi Pelzeln): вопросы систематики и филогении [ Sitta europaea L. & "small" nuthatches S. villosa Verreaux and S. krueperi Pelzeln: problems of taxonomy and phylogeny отдел биологический". Bulletin of the Moscow Society of Naturalists - Biology Division. 101 (1): 37–49.
1 2 Dunajewski, Andrzej (28 February 1934). "Eurazjatyckie formy rodzaju Sitta Linn". Acta Ornithologica Musei Zoologici Polonici. 1: 181–251.
1 2 3 Vaurie, Charles (1959). "The birds of the Palearctic fauna: Order Passeriformes": 522.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
↑ Bershitskaya, T.V. (2002). "Landshaftno-geografi Cheskie Osobennosti rasprostraneniya i BIOLOGII sinits popolznei Rossii". Изучение биологического разнообразия на Енисейском меридиональном трансекте: 308-325.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
1 2 Kistchinski, A.A.; Lobkov, E.G. (1979). "Пространственные взаимоотношения между подвидами некоторых птиц в Берингийской лесотундре [Spatial relationships between some bird subspecies in the Beringian forest-tundra]". 84 (5). бюллетень московского общества испытателей природы. отдел биологический [Bulletin de la Société des naturalistes de Moscou - division Biologie]: 11-23.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
The nuthatches constitute a genus, Sitta, of small passerine birds belonging to the family Sittidae. Characterised by large heads, short tails, and powerful bills and feet, nuthatches advertise their territory using loud, simple songs. Most species exhibit grey or bluish upperparts and a black eye stripe.
The Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch 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.
The beautiful nuthatch is a bird species in the family Sittidae, collectively known as nuthatches. It is a large nuthatch, measuring 16.5 cm (6.5 in) in length, that is not sexually dimorphic. Its coloration and markings are dramatic, the upper parts being black and azure, streaked with white and pale blue on the head and lined with the same colors on the wing feathers. The underparts are orange, and the eyebrow and throat are ochre. An irregular, dark eyestripe highlights its eye. S. formosa's ecology is not fully described, but it is known to feed on small insects and larvae found on the trunks and epiphyte-covered branches of trees in its range. Reproduction takes place from April to May; the nest is placed in the hole of an oak, rhododendron, or other large tree. The nest is made of plant material and fur in which the bird typically lays four to six eggs.
The white-breasted nuthatch is a species of bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring approximately 15.5 cm (6.1 in) in length. Coloration varies somewhat along the species' range, but the upperparts are light blue-gray, with a black crown and nape in males, while females have a dark gray crown. The underparts are whitish, with a reddish tinge on the lower abdomen. Despite not being closely related, the white-breasted nuthatch and the white wagtail are very similar in plumage. The white-breasted nuthatch is a noisy bird. It has a nasal voice and often utters little cries or vocalizations, often composed of repetitions of small invariant whistles. In summer, it is an exclusively insectivorous bird, consuming a wide range of arthropods, but in winter its diet consists mainly of seeds. The nest is located in the cavity of a tree. The clutch consists of five to nine eggs, incubated for two weeks by the female, who is fed by the male. The two adults then feed the young until they fledge, and for a few weeks after that.
The red-breasted nuthatch is a small songbird. The adult has blue-grey upperparts with cinnamon underparts, a white throat and face with a black stripe through the eyes, a straight grey bill and a black crown. Its call, which has been likened to a tin trumpet, is high-pitched and nasal. It breeds in coniferous forests across Canada, Alaska and the northeastern and western United States. Though often a permanent resident, it regularly irrupts further south if its food supply fails. There are records of vagrants occurring as far south as the Gulf Coast and northern Mexico. It forages on the trunks and large branches of trees, often descending head first, sometimes catching insects in flight. It eats mainly insects and seeds, especially from conifers. It excavates its nest in dead wood, often close to the ground, smearing the entrance with pitch.
The velvet-fronted nuthatch is a small passerine bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae found in southern Asia from Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh east to south China and Indonesia. Like other nuthatches, it feeds on insects in the bark of trees, foraging on the trunks and branches and their strongly clawed toes allow them to climb down tree trunks or move on the undersides of horizontal branches. They are found in forests with good tree cover and are often found along with other species in mixed-species foraging flocks. Adult males can be told apart by the black stripe that runs behind and above the eyes. They have a rapid chipping call note. They breed in tree cavities and holes, often created by woodpeckers or barbets.
The Corsican nuthatch is a species of bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a relatively small nuthatch, measuring about 12 cm (4.7 in) in overall length. The upperparts are bluish gray, the underparts grayish white. The male is distinguished from the female by its entirely black crown. The species is sedentary, territorial and not very shy. It often feeds high in Corsican pines, consuming mainly pine nuts, but also catching some flying insects. The breeding season takes place between April and May; the nest is placed in the trunk of an old pine, and the clutch has five to six eggs. The young fledge 22 to 24 days after hatching.
The Algerian nuthatch or Kabyle nuthatch, in the local dialect is a species of bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring between 11.5 cm (4.5 in) and 12.5 cm (4.9 in). The upperparts are bluish gray. The male can be distinguished from the female by the black front of its crown. The species is sedentary; it feeds on arthropods in summer and on seeds in winter. The breeding season takes place around May–June. The nest, built in a hole of tree, shelters a laying of three or four eggs, brooded by the female. The chicks are fed by both parents.
Salpornis is a genus of bird which is usually included in the family Certhiidae. The genus has in the past been included with the nuthatches in the family Sittidae or placed in a family of its own, the Salpornithidae. Molecular phylogenetic analyses show them to be definitely within the Certhioidea but still leaves some uncertainty about their placement in relation to the genera Sitta, Tichodroma and Certhia. While they appear similar to the treecreepers (Certhia), they do not use their tails to support them while climbing and some molecular evidence shows them to be closer to the nuthatches (Sitta) while another study suggests a closer relation to the wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria. The generic name is derived from the Greek salpinktes for wren and ornis for bird.
The brown-headed nuthatch is a small songbird endemic to pine forests throughout the Southeastern United States. Genetic analyses indicated low differentiation between northern and southern populations in Florida, but the study also found lower genetic diversity among south Florida populations that may be a result of the increased habitat fragmentation that was documented. The Bahama nuthatch was formerly considered a subspecies, has since been reclassified as its own separate species. Two recent studies assessing vocalizations in Bahama and continental nuthatch populations found important differences. One of the studies also demonstrated that continental and Bahama populations did not respond aggressively to calls of the other population. This type of call-response study is often used to help define cryptic species.
Krüper's nuthatch is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It is a small to medium-sized nuthatch, measuring 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in) in length. The upperparts are blue-gray, with the front half of the crown black in adults of both sexes, but with a less marked in the female rear. The species has a black or gray eyestripe and a prominent white supercilium. The underparts are blue-gray in males and buff-gray in females, with a large, crescent-shaped rufous pectoral patch. The Krüper's nuthatch feeds on insects in the summer and seeds, especially pines, in the fall and winter. Breeding takes place between March and May, and the nest is usually placed in a tree hole. The clutch consists of five to seven eggs, incubated by the female and fed by the male. Both parents take part in feeding the young.
The white-throated treerunner is a species of bird in the family Furnariidae. It is the only species in the genus Pygarrhichas. The white-throated treerunner is about 15 cm (5.9 in) long, with a stiff and rounded tail. The upperparts are dark brown, turning red on the lower back and tail and contrasting sharply with the throat and chest of a bright white. The rest of the underparts are coarsely mottled with white. The bill is long, slightly curved upwards. The general appearance is reminiscent of a nuthatch, although they are not directly related. Like the Sittidae, Furnariidae tirelessly scours the trunks and branches of old trees for the small arthropods that make up its food, spiraling up the trunks, or sometimes moving head down. The white-throated treerunner consumes small invertebrates found on bark and nests in tree cavities. Outside of the breeding season, it may form mixed-species foraging flocks with other bird species.
The blue nuthatch is a bird species in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring 13.5 cm (5.3 in) in length. The species, which shows slight sexual dimorphism, has dramatic coloration unlike any other member of its genus. Its head is black or blackish-blue dark blue upperparts close to purple with azure feathers. The wings are edged with black. The throat and chest are white or a washed buff color, contrasting with the upperparts and the belly of a very dark blue; the covert feathers are generally clear, blue-gray or purplish.
The chestnut-vented nuthatch is a species of bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring 12.5–14 cm (4.9–5.5 in) in length. The upperparts are a solid gray blue, with a markedly black loral stripe. The underparts are uniform gray to buff from the throat to belly, with brick red on the flanks. The undertail is white with a rufous border. The chestnut-vented nuthatch utters different kinds of calls, which can sometimes sound like a troglodyte alarm, and its song is a monotonous, stereotypical crackle, typically chichichichi. Its ecology is poorly known, but it probably feeds on small arthropods and seeds, and the breeding season begins between March and May. The nest is typically located in a hole in the trunk of a tree, and the clutch has two to five eggs.
The white-browed nuthatch, also known as the Victoria nuthatch, is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It is a small nuthatch, measuring 11.5 cm (4.5 in) in length and without sexual dimorphism. Like many other nuthatches, the upperparts are gray-blue, contrasting with white underparts on the throat, cheeks, and breast and orange on the flanks, belly, and lower abdomen. Its white supercilium makes it easy to distinguish it from the white-tailed nuthatch, which is a close species in the systematic and geographical sense. Little is known about its ecology, but it feeds on small insects found among bark and lichens, and breeding occurs around April.
The Chinese nuthatch is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It is a small nuthatch, measuring 11.5 cm (4.5 in) in length. The upperparts are blue-gray and the underparts from a dull buff-grayish to a cinnamon-orange; the cheeks are white. There is a marked sexual dimorphism: the adult male is distinguished by its very black crown, while that of the female is the same blue-grey as the back, or at most dark gray when the plumage is worn. In both sexes, a dark gray eyestripe extends in front of and behind the eye, topped by a clear white supercilium separating it from the crown. The song is variable, and composed of repetitions of small invariant whistles. The species feeds mainly on insects in summer and completes its diet with seeds and fruits. The nest is generally placed in the hole of a conifer. The pairs raises one brood per year, with five or six chicks.
The Yunnan nuthatch is a bird species in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It was first described by William Robert Ogilvie-Grant in 1900 based on a male holotype. It is a small nuthatch, measuring 12 centimetres (4.7 in) in length on average and weighs between 7.5 and 13 grams. The grey-blue upperparts contrast with the light, smooth, buffy lowerparts. It has a fine white eyebrow above a black eyestripe, which is distinct when the plumage is fresh, and exhibits a small degree of sexual dimorphism. A noisy bird, it produces simple, nasal sounds, sometimes in repetitive series.
Przevalski's nuthatch, originally given the nomen nudumSitta eckloni, is a bird species in the family Sittidae, collectively known as nuthatches. Long regarded as a subspecies of the white-cheeked nuthatch, it nevertheless differs significantly in morphology and vocalizations. Both S. przewalskii and S. leucopsis have been regarded as closely related to the North American white-breasted nuthatch. It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring about 13 cm (5 in) in length. Its upper body is a dark gray-blue or slate color, becoming dark blue-black at the crown. The cheeks and throat are a white buff-orange, turning to a rich cinnamon on the underparts that intensifies in color on the sides of the breast. Vocalizations consist of alternating series of ascending whistles and short notes.
The giant nuthatch is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It is the largest of the nuthatches, measuring 19.5 cm (7.7 in) in length. Its upperparts are bluish gray, with the front being light gray, contrasting with the darker rest of the back. The bird has two very thick black eyebrow lines and light gray underparts, with whitish cheeks and throat, and a belly more or less washed with buff and cinnamon. For a nuthatch, it has a long beak and tail. The female can be distinguished from the male by its duller eye features and its upperparts having less contrast between the crown, nape, and lower back. The calls are powerful and made up of repetitions of simple patterns. The species gleans its food from the trunks and branches of trees, especially pines, and feeds on insects and berries. It nests around March, in the hole of a tree and without masking the entrance, and the nest has about three young.
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