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  Profile

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  In flight

Songbirds

Pygmy Nuthatch

Sitta pygmaea

• rare
• 55 km/h
• Least Concern

Sleeps in cavity dorms with up to 100 friends to stay warm. Delivers messages on a community plan.

Population

~3.88 million mature individuals globally (2011 Partners in Flight estimate, ~3.1 million in the USA/Canada), trend increasing

Habitat

Open, mature coniferous forest — especially long-needled ponderosa pine, also Jeffrey pine, Douglas-fir, and aspen stands — from sea level to over 4,000 m, with strong dependence on mature trees for nest/roost cavities

Fun fact

Pygmy Nuthatches are cooperative breeders living in extended family groups with helper birds, and on cold nights more than 100 individuals have been recorded huddling together inside a single tree cavity to conserve heat.

Range

Western North America: southern British Columbia (Canada) south through the western United States (Sierra Nevada, Rocky Mountains, Cascades, southwestern pine forests) to the highlands of central Mexico; resident/non-migratory, extent of occurrence ~4.81 million km²

Diet

Insects and other arthropods (weevils, bark and leaf beetles, caterpillars) gleaned from bark and foliage; pine seeds especially in winter; readily visits suet and sunflower seed feeders

Size

0.1 m

Wingspan

0.197 m

Lifespan

6 years