Krüper's nuthatch

Krüper's nuthatch (Sitta krueperi) is a species of bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a small to medium-sized nuthatch, measuring 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in) in length. The upperparts are blue-grey, with the front half of the crown black in adults of both sexes, but with a less marked in the female rear. The species has a black or grey eyestripe and a prominent white supercilium. The underparts are blue-grey in males and buff-grey in females, with a large, crescent-shaped rufous pectoral patch. It feeds on insects in the summer and seeds, especially pine seeds, in autumn and winter. Breeding takes place between March and May, and the nest is usually placed in a tree hole. The clutch consists of five to seven eggs, incubated by the female and fed by the male. Both parents take part in feeding the young.

Krüper's nuthatch is found in pine and other coniferous forests in Turkey, Lesbos (Greece), and in the western Caucasus mountains in Georgia and Krasnodar Krai and Karachay-Cherkessia (southern Russia), largely following the distribution of Turkish pine (Pinus brutia). It is found from sea level up to 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) above sea level in places. This species is one of the small nuthatches of the "Sitta canadensis group" and is particularly very close to the Algerian nuthatch (S. ledanti), the only other species in which the black half-crown is found. Krüper's nuthatch is threatened by habitat loss caused by forestry and especially by tourist development on the Turkish coasts. Although its numbers are declining, the species is considered to be of "least concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.