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

As he walked, Torak heard the soft piping of bullfinches eating the brambles; a nuthatch tapping a branch for grubs.

From Literature

Woodpeckers carve nesting cavities in the softer dead trees and broken-off snags, then move on each year, leaving behind homes for other nesting creatures, such as nuthatches and chipmunks.

From Los Angeles Times

He studied the Lumleys as painstakingly as a poet studies the clouds, or as a birdwatcher studies her warblers and nuthatches.

From Literature

“What is it you really want to know? Is it safe in the woods for three children who howl at the moon? Safe for a scared governess who doesn’t know a warbler from a nuthatch?”

From Literature

"This winter I got a woodpecker and a nuthatch" he said, adding the images were "extraordinary".

From BBC