CreatureData

Beautiful nuthatch

Sitta formosa Blyth, 1843

VUVulnerablesongbirds

The beautiful nuthatch (Sitta formosa) is a species in the family Sittidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh about 21 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

Beautiful nuthatch (Sitta formosa)
Photo: John Gould & H · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the beautiful nuthatch

Weight
21 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
4.9src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the beautiful nuthatch live?

Not recorded

What is the beautiful nuthatch?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The beautiful nuthatch (Sitta formosa) is a bird species in the family Sittidae, collectively known as nuthatches. It is a large nuthatch, measuring 16.5 cm (6.5 in) in length, that is not sexually dimorphic. Its colour and markings are dramatic, the upper parts being black and azure, streaked with white and pale blue on the head and lined with the same colours on the wing feathers. The underparts are orange, and the eyebrow and throat are ochre. An irregular, dark eyestripe highlights its eye. Its ecology is not fully described, but it is known to feed on small insects and larvae found on the trunks and epiphyte-covered branches of trees in its range. Reproduction takes place from April to May; the nest is placed in the hole of an oak, rhododendron, or other large tree. The nest is made of plant material and fur in which the bird typically lays four to six eggs.

Although the species is found in most of the countries making up the mainland of Southeast Asia, it appears to be rare throughout its range, its population being highly local where it is found. The bird nests predominantly in montane forest at an altitudinal range from 950 m (3,120 ft) up to nearly 2,300 m (7,500 ft), with some seasonal height adjustment, down to around 300 m (980 ft) in winter. Its localised occurrence within its range makes rigorous estimates of its population difficult, but its habitat is threatened by deforestation and the species appears to be in decline. It has been classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

From the Wikipedia article “Beautiful nuthatch” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Beautiful_nuthatch&oldid=1354640456), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the beautiful nuthatch endangered?

The beautiful nuthatch is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.

How is the beautiful nuthatch classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familySittidae
  6. genusSitta
  7. SpeciesSitta formosa Blyth, 1843
Other names and names in other languages (37)
  • Голяма зидаркаBulgarian
  • pica-soques esplèndidCatalan
  • brhlík nádhernýCzech
  • delor cnau harddWelsh
  • PragtspætmejseDanish
  • SchmuckkleiberGerman
  • bela sitoEsperanto
  • Belega sitoEsperanto
  • Trepador BelloSpanish
  • Trepador hermosoSpanish
  • safiir-puukoristajaEstonian
  • kaunonakkeliFinnish
  • mustakaulusnakkeliFinnish
  • Sittelle superbeFrench
  • prugastoleđi brgljezCroatian
  • ékszercsuszkaHungarian
  • Picchio muratore magnificoItalian
  • ビナンゴジュウカラJapanese
  • ムナジロゴジュウカラJapanese
  • puošnusis bukutisLithuanian
  • PrachtboomkleverDutch
  • praktspettmeisNorwegian
  • kowalik wspaniałyPolish
  • trepadeira-formosaPortuguese
  • trepadeira-soberbaPortuguese
  • Поползень-красавецRussian
  • Прекрасный поползеньRussian
  • brhlík pestrýSlovak
  • praktnötväckaSwedish
  • นกไต่ไม้สีสวยThai
  • Süslü SıvacıTurkish
  • повзик-білозірUkrainian
  • Trèo cây lưng đenVietnamese
  • 丽䴓Chinese
  • 丽鳾Chinese
  • 丽Chinese
  • 麗鳾Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the beautiful nuthatch

Other species in the same genus Sitta.

CompareBeautiful nuthatch vs Eurasian nuthatchBeautiful nuthatch vs Western rock nuthatchBeautiful nuthatch vs Velvet-fronted nuthatchBeautiful nuthatch vs Eastern rock nuthatch

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the beautiful nuthatch?

An adult beautiful nuthatch weighs 21 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the beautiful nuthatch endangered?

The beautiful nuthatch is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

What kind of animal is the beautiful nuthatch?

The beautiful nuthatch (Sitta formosa) belongs to the family Sittidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Beautiful nuthatch (Sitta formosa). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/beautiful-nuthatch

MLA

“Beautiful nuthatch (Sitta formosa).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/beautiful-nuthatch.

BibTeX
@misc{beautiful_nuthatch_2026,
  title = {Beautiful nuthatch (Sitta formosa)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/beautiful-nuthatch},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}