Gould described the nuthatch as a curious and amusing little woodland bird which would rush 'round the boles and branches in a series of short jumps,' or perform 'a dipping flight from tree to tree'. Unlike the woodpecker or tree creeper, the nuthatch looked for insects by running obliquely over the main trunk and smaller branches, often with its head downwards and 'never making use of its tail as a support'.
The adult birds are depicted by a nest-cavity. The opening is often plastered with mud, leaving just enough room for the bird to enter.

DISTRIBUTION: Breeds Eurasia from British Isles to China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan. Essentially sedentary, but large scale irruptive movements sometimes occur to the west and south among Siberian populations. In Britain there appears to have been a long-term gradual increase since the 1930s