nuthatch

American  

[nuht-hach] / ˈnʌtˌhætʃ /

noun

1. any of numerous small, short-tailed, sharp-beaked birds of the family Sittidae that creep on trees and feed on small nuts and insects.

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nuthatch British  

/ ˈnʌtˌhætʃ /

noun

1. any songbird of the family Sittidae, esp Sitta europaea, having strong feet and bill, and feeding on insects, seeds, and nuts

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Etymology

Origin of nuthatch

1300–50; Middle English notehache, nuthagge, nuthak, literally, nut hacker. See nut, hack ¹

Compare meaning

How does nuthatch compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• nuthatch vs. chickadee

Example Sentences

The Young Bird Photographer of the Year 2024 was awarded to 14-year-old Spanish photographer Andrés Luis Domínguez Blanco for his creative angle on a nuthatch scrambling down an oak tree.

From BBC • Sep. 23, 2024

“I am happy when I watch a tufted titmouse, nuthatch or any other bird fly to one of my feeders and chow down on a big fat nut or seed,” wrote Donna McDowell of Gaithersburg.

From Washington Post • Feb. 14, 2023

Like the nuthatch and the creeper, they're probably still asleep.

From Scientific American • Sep. 15, 2021

Among the species he reported seeing were the hairy woodpecker, downy woodpecker, black-capped chickadee, red breasted nuthatch, white breasted nuthatch and red-bellied woodpecker.

From Washington Times • Jan. 2, 2021

Around six or seven I heard Barometer, the nuthatch.

From "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George