Nuthatch
Sitta europaea
The Nuthatch is an insectivorous bird, common in Portugal. It lives in close association with the arboreal layer, feeding on insects and arachnids that it finds in trunks and branches.
Its scientific name has the following meaning: Sitta derives from the Greek word Sitte said by Aristotle as “a bird similar to a woodpecker”; europaea alludes to its wide distribution in the wooded areas of Europe.
Text: João E. Rabaça