Today's new species in our 2019 Birdorable Bonanza is a colorful member of the nuthatch family: the Velvet-fronted Nuthatch!
Nuthatches typically have a muted plumage, with a mix of black, white, and slate often in the mix. This bird doesn't follow that convention, with its aquamarine upperparts, bright red beak, and yellow eye, this bird is a knockout!
The Velvet-fronted Nuthatch ranges across a variety of forest types throughout southern and central Asia. They are the only kind of nuthatch on Borneo.
Velvet-fronted Nuthatches feed mainly on insects and spiders. Typical for nuthatches, they forage by walking up and down tree trunks in search of food.
Tomorrow we'll add a species of parrot with a fun nickname based on its (lack of) facial plumage. Do you know the bird?
This week's feature t-shirt design is this cute N is for Nuthatch design featuring our Red-breasted Nuthatch perched upside-down on the letter N. Cute for bird lovers of all ages. Also check out our other letters.
Earlier this year, we added the Red-breasted Nuthatch to Birdorable. Here in northern Illinois, we see these cute little tree-scooters in the winter months. Red-breasted Nuthatches are known for their ability to climb up and down and even zig-zag across tree trunks with no regard for which end is up. They scour trees for insects; they will also feed on conifer seeds and pay visits to backyard feeding stations, where they enjoy suet and nuts. During nest-building, males and females line the outside and inside of the nest cavity with sticky tree resin. It is thought the resin is used to keep out predators or pests. Be sure to check out our selection of cute Birdorable Red-breasted Nuthatch t-shirts & gifts!
The Eurasian Nuthatch is the 98th cute bird that we're adding to Birdorable. You can find all the others on the Meet the Birds page. Just two more and we'll hit number one hundred, which will be a special bird. The Eurasian Nuthatch is a cute little Nuthatch that lives throughout Europe and Asia. It is a common backyard bird in some parts of Europe where it feeds on seeds and nuts. It has the ability, like other nuthatches, to climb down trees, unlike species such as woodpeckers which can only go upwards. This is our totally cute Birdorable version of the European Nuthatch:
