Nuthatch, UK (1 Viewer)

[Earnest lad]

Please can anyone advise. I took this photo today from the window. I thought that it looked like a juvenile, but then again I thought - can't be - it is too early in the season for a juvenile.
Please does anyone know if that is possible and whether it is an adult or a juvenile.
Thank you
Ian

 

[foresttwitcher]

Why did you think it is not an adult?

 

[Deb Burhinus]

It’s an adult

Juveniles are much paler and have a less distinct face stripe - a 2cy (last year’s juvenile) would have brownish/faded fight feathers)

 

[Earnest lad]

Dear Forest & Deb.
Thank you for your answers: I am clear on this now. Sorry for that it was just that I fancied the tail and bill were slightly shorter than usual, and along with the seeming "streakiness" of the underparts compared to other Nuthatches around at the same time I erroneously formed that impression. Mind you how the light catches it can deceive can't it.

 

[KenM]

It’s an adult Male Earnest lad, the rich rust to the flanks with contrasting white lozenges to the UTC’s confirm as such.👍

 

[Butty]

contrasting white lozenges to the UTC’s

For removal of doubt, this feature is in both sexes.
Up until at least 1992, that Mr Svensson couldn't age them (after post-juvenile moult) in the hand, let alone in a photo.

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Some males can show limited amount of chestnut red in the UTCs so this is probably not fully reliable to separate sexes - Juveniles can be aged by the greyish, not black face stripe, post juvenile moult, 1w and 2cy can be aged by moult limits, if not in the coverts in the autumn, then by the more worn (brownish) flight feathers compared to corresponding adults in the spring.

You may find this helpful Earnest Lad

http://blascozumeta.com/wp-content/uploads/aragon-birds/passeriformes/395.nuthatch-seuropaea.pdf

 

[KenM]

For removal of doubt, this feature is in both sexes.
Up until at least 1992, that Mr Svensson couldn't age them (after post-juvenile moult) in the hand, let alone in a photo.

I’ve been monitoring Nuthatches on feeders from my bedroom window for the last 38 years (c2m away and from 2m above), within that time scale I’ve observed the pecking order and the respective plumages of birds arriving singly and together.
In “all” cases I’ve observed the perceived Male, deep dark rust to the UTC’s with corresponding contrasting white lozenges always dominating the feeder first...ie displacing the subordinate bird if present, which always shows a much reduced and washed out UTC’s compared to the arriving alpha Male.
The only alternative to that pairing would be a much younger male showing deference.
Indeed I’ve differentiated individual birds by their respective UTC’s and for good measure this “difference” is also mentioned in Collins...text by Lars Svensson!
I would add that my frequent close proximity exposure to European Nuthatches has certainly enabled me a “reasonable“ degree of accuracy of ID-ing “alpha males“ over other ages and gender that visit my feeders.

Cheers

 

[Butty]

All good! But... the white spots are present in both sexes.

 

[Deb Burhinus]

Interesting observations Ken - I never underestimate the value of this kind of ‘citizen science’ - indeed Males have a deeper rust/chestnut on the utc which certainly contrast more obviously in than females which suggests the adult in the OP is a male as you say (occasionally as I mentioned above, males can be much paler on the utc and in those cases harder to sex).

 

[Earnest lad]

Thank you so much everyone. This information is most helpful. When I first got into birdwatching here in NW England one never saw Nuthatches.
When I first noticed these white "Lozenges" on a Nuthatch (examining my photo's) not that long ago, I wondered whether it was some kind of parasite or something. LOL