Pygmy nuthatch

Eastern Washington

Pygmy nuthatches are relatively common in old growth ponderosa pine forests on the east slope of the Cascade Mountains, the Okanogan extending east around Spokane, and Blue Mountains. This bird feeds on insects and seeds, usually mixing in flocks of other small songbirds. Nuthatches are named for their behavior of wedging seeds in bark and pecking them open, with woodpecker-like hammering. Compare to red-breasted nuthatch and white-breasted nuthatch.

Pygmy nuthatch
eating a caterpillar

Pygmy nuthatch
perched in a ponderosa

Pygmy nuthatch
extracting seeds from a ponderosa pine cone

Pygmy nuthatch
probing bitterbrush under a large pine tree

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