Editing Nuthatch (section)

==Description==
[[File:Red-breasted-Nuthatch-3c.jpg|right|thumb|The red-breasted nuthatch is said to have a {{audio-nohelp|Sitta-canadensis-002.ogg|call}} like a tin trumpet.]]
Nuthatches are compact birds with short legs, compressed wings, and square 12-feathered tails. They have long, sturdy, pointed bills and strong toes with long claws. Nuthatches have blue-grey backs (violet-blue in some Asian species, which also have red or yellow bills) and white underparts, which are variably tinted with buff, orange, rufous or lilac. Although head markings vary between species, a long black eye stripe, with contrasting white [[supercilium]], dark forehead and blackish cap is common. The sexes look similar, but may differ in underpart colouration, especially on the rear flanks and under the tail. Juveniles and first-year birds can be almost indistinguishable from adults.<ref name="HQfamily"/>

The sizes of nuthatches vary,<ref name="HQfamily"/> from the large [[giant nuthatch]], at {{convert|195|mm|in|abbr=on}} and {{convert|36|–|47|g|oz|abbr=on}},<ref name="HQgiant">Harrap & Quinn (1996) pp. 169–172 "Giant Nuthatch"</ref> to the small [[brown-headed nuthatch]] and the [[pygmy nuthatch]], both around {{convert|100|mm|in|abbr=on}} in length and about {{convert|10|g|oz|abbr=on}}.<ref name="HQbhn">Harrap & Quinn (1996) pp. 130–133 "Brown-headed Nuthatch"</ref>

Nuthatches are very vocal, using an assortment of whistles, trills and calls. Their [[bird vocalization|breeding songs]] tend to be simple and often identical to their contact calls but longer in duration.<ref name="HQfamily"/> The red-breasted nuthatch, which coexists with the [[black-capped chickadee]] throughout much of its range, is able to understand the latter species' calls. The chickadee has subtle call variations that communicate information about the size and risk of potential predators. Many birds recognise the simple alarm calls produced by other species, but the red-breasted nuthatch is able to interpret the chickadees' detailed variations and to respond appropriately.<ref name="Templeton">{{cite journal| last= Templeton | first= Christopher N. |author2=Greene, Erick  |date=March 2007 | title= Nuthatches eavesdrop on variations in heterospecific chickadee mobbing alarm calls | journal= Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | volume= 104 | issue= 13 | pages= 5479–5482 | doi =10.1073/pnas.0605183104 | pmid= 17372225| pmc= 1838489| bibcode= 2007PNAS..104.5479T | doi-access= free }}</ref>