Editing Algerian nuthatch

{{Short description|Species of bird endemic to Algeria}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{good article}}
{{speciesbox
| name = Algerian nuthatch
| image = Sitta ledanti - Karim Haddad (cropped).jpeg
| status = EN
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2017 |title=''Sitta ledanti'' |volume=2017 |page=e.T22711179A119435091 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22711179A119435091.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Sitta
| species = ledanti
| authority = [[Jacques Vielliard|Vielliard]], 1976
| range_map = Sitta ledanti distribution map-fr.svg
| range_map_alt = Map showing the breeding range of ''Sitta ledanti''
| range_map_caption = Distribution map showing the forests used by the nuthatch in red
}}
The '''Algerian nuthatch''' or '''Kabyle nuthatch''' ('''''Sitta ledanti''''') is a [[species]] of bird in the nuthatch family [[Sittidae]]. It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring between {{convert|11.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} and {{convert|12.5|cm|in|abbr=on}}. The {{birdgloss|upperparts}} are bluish-grey. The male can be distinguished from the female by the black front of its {{birdgloss|crown}}. The species is [[Non-migratory|sedentary]]; it feeds on [[arthropods]] in summer and on seeds in winter. The breeding season takes place around May–June. The nest, built in a hole of tree, shelters a laying of three or four eggs, brooded by the female. The chicks are fed by both parents.

The Kabyle nuthatch is the only bird species [[endemic]] to [[Algeria]], where it now inhabits only certain [[conifer]]ous and [[broad-leaved tree|broadleaf]] [[forest]]s in the [[Kabylia]] region in the north of the country. Its [[Binomial nomenclature|scientific name]] pays tribute to Jean-Paul Ledant, a Belgian amateur naturalist who discovered the bird in October 1975 and named it "[[:fr:Sittelle_kabyle|la Sittelle Kabyle]]" (''the Kabyle nuthatch''); the description of the bird was made by the French ornithologist Jacques Vielliard. The news of this discovery greatly surprised the ornithological world and received international media coverage. The Algerian nuthatch is closely related to [[Krüper's nuthatch]] (''Sitta krueperi''). The bird has only a limited and [[Relict (biology)|relict]] range, threatened by fire, [[erosion]] and human action; the species is therefore considered "[[Endangered species|endangered]]" by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]].

== Description ==
[[File:Sitta ledanti - Karim Haddad - female (cropped).jpeg|left|thumb|alt=A grey bird with brown body, gleaning|A female Algerian nuthatch, with very little black on the crown, barely spotting the front of the forehead.]]
The Algerian nuthatch is a medium-sized nuthatch;<ref name="Harrap">{{cite book |last=Harrap |first=Simon |url=http://www.digimages.info/sitkab/SittelleKabyle_BW_2002_5_154-156.pdf|title= Little known West Palearctic birds: Algerian Nuthatch|publisher=[[Birding World]]|date=1992|volume=5|issue=4|pages=154–156}}</ref> it measures between {{convert|11.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} and {{convert|12.5|cm|in|abbr=on}},<ref name="Lars Svensson">[[Lars Svensson (ornithologist)|Svensson, L.]], [[Killian Mullarney|Mullarney, K.]], & [[Dan Zetterström|Zetterström, D.]] (2022) ''[[Collins Bird Guide]]'', ed. 3. {{ISBN|978-0-00-854746-2}}, pages 362-363</ref> and weighs about {{convert|18|g|oz}}.<ref name="Laurence">{{Cite web |last=D. |first=Laurence |title=La sittelle kabyle (''Sitta ledanti''): l'oiseau rare |language=fr |trans-title=The Kabyle nuthatch (''Sitta ledanti''): the rare bird. Interview with J.-P. Ledant.|url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.monde-berbere.net%2Fnature1A1.htm#federation=archive.wikiwix.com|date=2007|access-date=24 January 2022}}</ref> The {{birdgloss|upperparts}} are overall bluish grey; the tail has a small subterminal white band bordered with beige. The belly is washed with light salmon-beige up to the [[covert feathers|undertail coverts]]; the latter are grey at their base.<ref name="Jacques Vielliard 1">{{cite journal |last=Jacques |first=Vielliard |journal=Alauda|title= The Djebel Babor and its Nuthatch, Sitta ledanti Vielliard 1976|date=1978|volume=46|issue=1|pages=1–42}}</ref> The male has a black forehead and a dark {{birdgloss|eyestripe}}, separated from the {{birdgloss|crown}} by a broad, sharp white [[supercilium]]. In females, the crown and eyestripe are the same grey as the back, with the front of the crown sometimes darker (when the [[plumage]] is worn), but not as dark as in males.<ref name="Harrap"/> In both sexes, the sides of the head and the throat are white.<ref name="Lars Svensson"/> The [[Iris (anatomy)|iris]] are brown-black, the legs lead-grey and the {{birdgloss|bill}} bluish-grey.<ref name="Jacques Vielliard 2">{{cite journal |last=Jacques |first=Vielliard |journal=Alauda|title=The Kabyle Nuthatch|date=1976|volume=3|issue=1|pages=351–352}}</ref> The juvenile plumage is similar to that of the female, but duller and with an inconspicuous supercilium;<ref name="Harrap"/> after leaving the nest, bill growth and [[pigmentation]] of the bill and legs are incomplete.<ref name="Jacques Vielliard 3">{{cite journal |last=Jacques |first=Vielliard |journal=Alauda|title= Additional remarks on the Kabyle Nuthatch ''Sitta ledanti'' Vielliard 1976|date=1980|volume=48|issue=2–3|pages=139–150}}</ref>

Within its range, the Kabyle nuthatch cannot be confused with any other bird. The closest nuthatch geographically is the [[Eurasian nuthatch]] (''Sitta europaea'') which inhabits Europe widely and some localities in the [[Morocco|Moroccan]] [[Rif]] mountains;<ref name="Eric Burnier">{{cite journal |last=Burnier |first=Eric |journal=Nos Oiseaux|title= Une nouvelle espèce de l'avifaune paléarctique: la Sittelle kabyle, ''Sitta ledanti''|trans-title=A new species of Palearctic avifauna: the Kabyle Nuthatch, ''Sitta ledanti''|date=December 1976|volume=33|issue=8|pages=337–340|language=fr}}</ref> this species is larger than the Algerian, has no black on the crown and has orange-buff (or white for some subspecies) {{birdgloss|underparts}} tending to orange around the [[Rump (animal)|rump]].<ref name="Lars Svensson"/> The Kabyle nuthatch strongly resembles the [[Corsican nuthatch]] (''Sitta whiteheadi''), but the black crown differs in the males; that of the Algerian species covers the front of the head, as opposed to the whole head in the Corsican nuthatch. The underparts are of a warmer pinkish buff in the Algerian species. It is [[phylogenetically]] very close to [[Krüper's nuthatch]] (''Sitta krueperi''), with the front of the crown dark in the male and the supercilium marked white, but Krüper's nuthatch has pale grey underparts and a large russet-brown pectoral patch.<ref name="Lars Svensson"/>

== Taxonomy and systematics ==
===Discovery and nomenclature===
The Algerian nuthatch was discovered in [[Algeria]] by Jean-Paul Ledant, a Belgian naturalist and ornithologist, on 5 October 1975.<ref name="Laurence"/> Identifying it as quite different from other nuthatches, he wrote to the [[Academy of Sciences]] to report his discovery. Working on a revision of [[Sittidae]], they encouraged Ledant to return to the site.<ref name="Jacques Vielliard 1"/> He tried several times during the winter, but the mountain was too snowy to allow exploration. Ledant was finally accompanied by Jacques Vielliard in mid-April 1976 to observe nesting, which actually occurred later in the year due to the [[massif]] range's difficult climatic conditions. They had to wait until July to observe feeding behaviour and a few [[Fledgling (birds)|fledgling]]s, as well as to make recordings and call trials with songs of Corsican and Krüper nuthatches. Only a dozen pairs were observed, but on the 5–6 July, Vielliard killed a pair of adults that had finished feeding their chicks to be used as [[Type (biology)|type]] specimens.<ref name="Jacques Vielliard 2"/><ref name="Henri Balsac">{{cite journal|last=Balsac|first=Henri Heim de|title= Commentaires sur la découverte d'un élément imprévu de la faune paléarctique |language=fr|trans-title=Comments on the discovery of an unforeseen element of the Palearctic fauna|journal=Alauda |volume=44|issue=3|date=1976|pages=353–355|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/61349494|access-date=30 September 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Dubois |first1=Alain |last2=Nemésio |first2=André |url=https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.1409.1.1|title=Does nomenclatural availability of nomina of new species or subspecies require the deposition of vouchers in collections?|journal=Zootaxa |volume= 1409|date=2007|pages=16|doi=10.11646/ZOOTAXA.1409.1.1}}</ref> Kept in the describer's house, these specimens (the [[holotype]] and [[paratype]]) were seriously damaged after 2005 by insects, and were finally given to the [[National Museum of Natural History, France]] in 2015.<ref name="Laurent Vallotton">{{Cite journal |last=Vallotton|first=Laurent |date=2015 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297716482|title= The Altai Nuthatch: a missing link? |journal=9th International Meeting of Bird Curators|place= Darwin State Museum, Moscow |via=[[ResearchGate]]}}</ref>

The Algerian nuthatch was formally described in the journal ''Alauda'' by Jacques Vielliard in 1976 under its current name of ''Sitta ledanti''. This discovery greatly surprised the ornithological world, as the bird seemed to come from a "lost world" that has withstood the test of time, the [[Babor Mountains]].<ref name="Harrap"/> A species of bird [[endemic]] to the Mediterranean had not been discovered for nearly a century since the 1883 discovery of the Corsican nuthatch.<ref name="Henri Balsac"/><ref name="Jacques Vielliard 4"/>

In December 1976, the Swiss ornithologist Eric Burnier announced in the journal ''Nos Oiseaux'' that he had discovered the species independently on June 20 of the same year, before learning from a July 28 article in ''[[Le Monde]]'' that he had been preceded in his discovery and that the species had just been named.<ref name="Eric Burnier"/><ref>{{cite journal|last=-JB|first= J.|title=Un oiseau inconnu découvert en Algérie |language=fr|trans-title=An unknown bird discovered in Algeria|journal=Le Monde|date=28 July 1976|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1976/07/28/un-oiseau-inconnu-decouvert-en-algerie_2951235_1819218.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190916023836/https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1976/07/28/un-oiseau-inconnu-decouvert-en-algerie_2951235_1819218.html|access-date=30 September 2024|archive-date= 16 September 2019}}</ref> He published a few drawings and field notes, explaining that he had spotted birds that he had judged to have the characteristics of the Corsican nuthatch and Krüper's nuthatch by song and then approached them only a few meters away. The only nuthatch in the [[Maghreb]] then known being the Eurasian nuthatch, which occurs in some localities of the Moroccan [[Rif]] and [[Atlas Mountains]] about 900 km from the Babor Mountains, he knew he was dealing with a new species.<ref name="Eric Burnier"/>

=== Phylogeny ===
[[File:Sitta krueperi - Christoph Moning - 2 (cropped).jpeg|thumb|alt=A grey bird with white face and orange body at the branch of tree |The male [[Krüper's nuthatch]] has the front half of the crown black, like the Algerian nuthatch; it is the closest relative of the latter species.]]
The Algerian nuthatch is placed in the [[subgenus]] ''Micrositta'', described by the Russian ornithologist [[Sergei Buturlin]] in 1916,<ref name="Matthysen 2010">{{cite book | last=Matthysen | first=Erik | title=The Nuthatches | publisher=A & C Black | publication-place=London | year=2010 | isbn=978-1-4081-2870-1 | oclc=727646681 | page=}}</ref> and has no [[subspecies]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Nuthatches, Wallcreeper, treecreepers, mockingbirds, starlings, oxpeckers – IOC World Bird List | website=IOC World Bird List – Version 11.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/nuthatch/  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220130/https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/nuthatch/  |archive-date=2022-01-30 |url-status=live| access-date=24 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref> American ornithologist [[Charles Vaurie]] had grouped in 1957 the Corsican nuthatch, the [[red-breasted nuthatch]] (''Sitta canadensis'') and the [[Chinese nuthatch]] (''Sitta villosa''), which he considered to be very similar, in the "''Sitta canadensis''" group.<ref>{{cite journal|journal= American Museum Novitates|last= Vaurie|first= Charles|issue= 1854|year=1957|pages=1–26|title= Systematic notes on Palearctic birds. No. 29, The subfamilies Tichodromadinae and Sittinae|hdl= 2246/3596|url=https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/3596|issn=1937-352X|oclc=47720325}}</ref> In his 1976 description of the Algerian nuthatch, Vielliard devotes a portion of his paper to the possible relationships of the different species and their [[evolutionary]] history. He suggests that Vaurie stopped at a "superficial [[Morphology (biology)|morphological]] similarity" to bring the Corsican nuthatch closer to the red-breasted nuthatch, and that the Corsican species should rather form with Krüper's nuthatch a group known as the "Mesogean nuthatches", "where ''Sitta ledanti'' providentially fits in".<ref name="Jacques Vielliard 4"/> He considers it "tempting" to identify the [[fossil]] species ''Sitta senogalliensis'' (whose membership to the genus ''Sitta'' is discussed) described from the Upper [[Miocene]] in [[Italy]] as the ancestor of the Mesogean nuthatch group.<ref name="Jacques Vielliard 4"/>

In 1998, Eric Pasquet studied the [[cytochrome b]] gene in the [[mitochondrial DNA]] of about ten nuthatch species, including the various species of the ''Sitta canadensis'' group,<ref name="Packert2014 molecular">{{cite journal | title=Phylogeny of the nuthatches of the Sitta canadensis group and its evolutionary and biogeographic implications| first=Eric | last=Pasquet | name-list-style=amp | journal=The Ibis | volume=140 | issue=1 | pages= 150–156|date= January 1998| doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.1998.tb04553.x }}</ref> which he defined as comprising six species, corresponding to those reported in the subgenus, ''Micrositta'':<ref name="Matthysen 2010"/> ''S. canadensis'', ''S. villosa'', ''S. whiteheadi'', ''S. yunnanensis'', ''S. krueperi'' and ''S. ledanti''. Pasquet concluded that the Corsican nuthatch is [[phylogeny|phylogenetically]] related to the Chinese nuthatch and the red-breasted nuthatch, these three species forming the [[sister group]] of a [[clade]] including Krüper's nuthatch and the Algerian nuthatch. The first three species would even be close enough to constitute subspecies, rejecting the "Mesogean" theory of Vielliard and thus confirming the conclusions of Charles Vaurie.<ref name="Packert2014 molecular"/> For the sake of [[taxonomic]] stability, however, all retain their full species status.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thibault |first1= Jean-Claude|last2=Seguin |first2= Jean-François|last3=Norris |first3= Ken|url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.developpement-durable.gouv.fr%2FIMG%2Fpdf%2FPNA_Sittelle_corse.pdf%2Findex.html#federation=archive.wikiwix.com|title= Taxonomic status and biogeographic origin |location=Regional Natural Park of Corsica|date=2000|page=52 }}</ref> In 2014, Eric Pasquet and colleagues published a phylogeny based on [[Nuclear DNA|nuclear]] and mitochondrial DNA of 21 nuthatch species and confirmed the relationships of the 1998 study within the "''Sitta canadensis'' group", adding the [[Yunnan nuthatch]], which was found to be the most [[Basal (phylogenetics)|basal]] of the species.<ref name="Pasquet2014">{{cite journal|doi=10.1007/s10336-014-1063-7|url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10336-014-1063-7|title=Evolution within the nuthatches (Sittidae: Aves, Passeriformes): molecular phylogeny, biogeography, and ecological perspectives|journal=[[Journal of Ornithology]]|date=April 2014|author1=Eric Pasquet |author2=Keith F. Barker |author3=Jochen Martens |author4=Annie Tillier |author5=Corinne Cruaud |author6=Alice Cibois|volume=155|issue=3|pages=755–765|bibcode=2014JOrni.155..755P |s2cid=17637707}}</ref>

The conclusions of these studies are in agreement with the morphology of the species, the red-breasted nuthatch, Corsican nuthatch and Chinese nuthatch sharing as a derived character the entirely black crown only present in males, a unique trait among the nuthatches and related families. The second clade, which includes Krüper's and Algerian nuthatches, have the front of the crown black in males, with this [[sexually dimorphic]] trait absent in juveniles.<ref name="Packert2014 molecular"/>

The simplified [[cladogram]] below is based on the [[phylogenetic analysis]] of Packert and colleagues (2014):<ref name="Pasquet2014"/>

{|
|-
| style="vertical-align:top;"|{{Clade|style=font-size:90%;line-height:100% <!--the line-height reduces line separation -->
|1={{clade
   |1=[[Yunnan nuthatch]] (''S. yunnanensis'')
   |2={{clade
      |1={{clade
         |1=Algerian nuthatch ('''''S. ledanti''''')
         |2=[[Krüper's nuthatch]] (''S. krueperi'')
         }}
      |2={{clade
         |1={{clade
            |1=[[Corsican nuthatch]] (''S. whiteheadi'')
            |2=[[Chinese nuthatch]] (''S. villosa'')
            }}
         |2=[[Red-breasted nuthatch]] (''S. canadensis'')
         }}
       }}
   }}
}}
|}

===Biogeography===
In 1976, the Swiss ornithologist [[Paul Géroudet]] suggested that the Mesogean nuthatches once inhabited a fairly continuous belt of [[conifers]] around the Mediterranean, which had become fragmented, leaving only a few hard-to-reach refuges where these different species were able to evolve in isolation.<ref name="Paul Géroudet ">{{Cite journal |last=Géroudet |first=Paul|title= À propos de la Sittelle kabyle |trans-title=About the Kabyle Nuthatch|journal=Nos Oiseaux|date=December 1976|volume=33|issue=8|pages=340–342|language=fr}}</ref> In 1998, his phylogeny having been established, Pasquet concluded that the paleogeographic history of the group would be as follows: the divergence between the two main clades of the "''Sitta canadensis'' group" appeared more than 5 million years ago, at the end of the Miocene, when the ''S. krueperi'' and ''S. ledanti'' clade settled in the [[Mediterranean basin]] at the time of the [[Messinian salinity crisis]]; the two species making up the clade diverged 1.75 million years ago. The other clade split into three, with populations leaving [[Asia]] from the east and giving rise to the North American red-breasted nuthatch, and then, about a million years ago, from the west, marking the separation between the Corsican and Chinese nuthatches.<ref name="Packert2014 molecular"/>

== Ecology and behaviour ==
===Vocalisations===
{{Birdsong|species=''Sitta ledanti''|url=https://xeno-canto.org/explore?query=Sitta%20ledanti}}
The call is a ''tsiit tsiit'' typical of a nuthatch.<ref name="BirdLife International">{{cite web |last1=P.|first1=Isenmann |last2=D.|first2=Monticelli| title=Algerian Nuthatch ''Sitta ledanti''| website=[[BirdLife International]] | url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.birdlife.org%2Fdatazone%2Fspeciesfactsheet.php%3Fid%3D6889#&| access-date=24 January 2022}}</ref> Adults also use a whispered call when an intruder is present, possibly for territorial defense.<ref name="Jacques Vielliard 4">{{cite journal|last=Jacques |first=Vielliard |journal= Weekly Reports of the Sessions of the Academy of Sciences|title= A new relict witness of speciation in the Mediterranean zone: Sitta ledanti (Aves, Sittidae)|date=1976|volume=283|pages=1193–1195}}</ref> The song of the Algerian nuthatch is a nasal whistle, composed of a series of rising elements, with a short final note, repeated slowly and can be transcribed into a ''vuuy-di vuuy-di vuuy-di''.<ref name="Lars Svensson" /> It is a repetition of seven to twelve phrases lasting for two to four seconds.<ref name="Harrap" /> The bird may also produce a rapid trill in ''di-du-di-du-di-du'', and when agitated, it emit a harsh and repeated ''chèèh''<ref name="Lars Svensson" /> comparable to the call of a [[jay]].<ref name="Harrap" /><ref name="BirdLife International" />

===Food===
The Algerian nuthatch's diet has not been extensively studied.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gatter|first1=Von Wulf |last2=Mattes |first2=Hermann  |journal=Journal für Ornithologie|title= Zur Populationsgröße und Ökologie des neuentdeckten Kabylenkleibers ''Sitta ledanti'' Vielliard 1976|date=1979|volume=120|issue=4|pages=390–405|doi=10.1007/BF01642912 |bibcode=1979JOrn..120..390G |s2cid=46065939 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mayache |first1=MEA|last2=Temagoult |first2=L.|last3=Bara |first3= M.|last4=Moulaï |first4=R. |journal=Studia Universitatis "Vasile Goldiş", Seria Ştiinţele Vieţii|title= Diversity and dynamics of potential prey of the Algerian Nuthatch Sitta ledanti during the breeding season |date=10 November 2020 |volume=30|issue=3|pages=136–144|issn= 1584-2363}}</ref> It varies according to the season. In summer, it feeds mainly on [[insects]] (mainly [[caterpillars]] and [[beetles]]) and [[spiders]] that it finds by surveying the trunks and branches of [[Oak|oak trees]].<ref name="BirdLife International"/> In winter, insects are scarce and the Algerian nuthatch feeds on coniferous seeds which provide a constant supply.<ref name="Jacques Vielliard 1"/><ref name="Simon Harrap">{{cite book |last=Harrap |first=Simon |others=Illustrated by David Quinn |title=Tits, Nuthatches and Treecreepers |date=1996|editor=[[Christopher Helm]] |publisher=[[Helm Identification Guides|Helm]]|isbn=0-7136-3964-4}}</ref> They generally feed alone, but may form [[Mixed-species foraging flock|mixed feeding flocks]] outside the breeding season.<ref name="BirdLife International"/>[[File:Sitta ledanti - Karim Haddad - at nest.jpeg|right|thumb|alt=A grey bird inside the tree hole|Algerian nuthatch at nest, in a tree cavity.]]

===Breeding===
The breeding season occurs from May to June in Tamentout and Mount Babor, earlier or later depending on weather conditions and food availability; at higher altitudes it may start later.<ref name="BirdLife International"/> In [[Taza National Park]], the breeding season ends in late June.<ref name="Simon Harrap"/> The nest is built in a tree hole,<ref name="Lars Svensson"/> perhaps excavated by a [[great spotted woodpecker]] (''Dendrocopos major''), in a dead [[fir]] tree or in holes in an [[Quercus|oak]] or [[Cedrus|cedar]] tree, and is usually placed between {{convert|4–15|m|ft|abbr=on}}  from the ground.<ref name="Jacques Vielliard 4"/> The bottom is lined with plant debris (wood chips, dead leaves) or animal material such as [[western barn owl]] (''Tyto alba'') feathers or [[wild boar]] (''Sus scrofa'') hair. While incubation is carried out by the female alone (the male does not have a brood patch), both parents feed the young.<ref name="Jacques Vielliard 4"/> [[Clutch (eggs)|Clutches]] have three or four fledglings.<ref name="Jacques Vielliard 1"/> After the breeding season, adults undergo a full [[Moulting|post-nuptial moult]] and young undergo a partial post-nuptial moult.<ref name="Jacques Vielliard 3"/>

== Distribution and habitat ==
The Algerian nuthatch is the only bird endemic to Algeria. It inhabits certain areas of [[Kabylia]], where it has been recorded in five localities isolated from each other by deforested areas unsuitable for its survival.<ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021"/><ref name="Harrap"/><ref name="Moulaï and Mayache">{{cite journal |last1=Moulaï|first1=R.|last2=Mayache|first2=Mayache|url=https://magornitho.org/2018/10/new-breeding-site-algerian-nuthatch/|title= A new breeding site for the Kabyle Nuthatch, ''Sitta ledanti''|journal=Alauda |date=2018|volume=86|pages= 73–74}}</ref> It was first discovered on Mount Babor, only about {{Convert|20|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} from the Mediterranean coast. Its optimal habitat covers only {{Convert|2.5|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, and the area is home to only 80 pairs according to a 1985 estimate.<ref name="Harrap"/><ref name="Dynamics">{{cite journal |last1=Ledant |first1= Jean-Paul|last2=Jacobs |first2=Paul |last3=Ochando |first3=Bernard|last4=Renault|first4=Jean|title=Dynamics of the Mont Babor Forest and ecological preferences of the Kabyle nuthatch ''Sitta ledanti''|journal=Biological Conservation|date=1985|volume=32|issue=3|pages= 231–254|doi= 10.1016/0006-3207(85)90112-0}}</ref> Then in June 1989 it was found in [[Guerrouch]], within the Taza National Park,<ref name="Harrap"/> which has a larger population of around 350 individuals. Smaller numbers were discovered in 1990 in two other localities near this park, in Tamentout and [[Djimla]].<ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021"/> In the spring of 2018, a new breeding site was discovered in Ghabet Ezzen, between the communes of Chahna and Oudjana in the [[Jijel Province|Jijel province]].<ref name="Moulaï and Mayache"/> On 24 September of the same year, two amateur ornithologists, Karim Haddad and Larbi Afoutni, went to the site; about twenty individuals were observed and photographed in the Lerabaa forest.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ornithomedia.com/magazine/voyages/observation-sittelle-kabyle-dans-nouveau-secteur-septembre-2018-foret-lerabaa-algerie-02794/|title=Observation of the Kabyle nuthatch in a new site: the Lerabaa forest|website= Ornithomedia.com|date=22 October 2018|access-date=24 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Haddad|first1=Karim|last2=Afoutni|first2=Larbi|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/346970647|title=The Kabyle nuthatch Sitta ledanti: new locality, distribution and habitat|journal= Ornithos 26-2|date=2019|pages=83–94 |via=[[ResearchGate]]|access-date=24 January 2022}}</ref> The bird could be present in other oak groves of [[Petite Kabylie]], but has not been documented yet.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Isenmann |first1=Paul|last2=Moali |first2=Aïssa |title= Birds of Algeria|publisher= Society for Ornithological Studies of France|date=2000|page=336}}</ref>

The Algerian nuthatch lives in oak forests between {{convert|350|m|ft|abbr=on}} and {{convert|1,120|m|ft|abbr=on}} altitude and in mixed forests of oak, [[Acer opalus|Italian maple]] (''Acer opalus'' subsp. ''obtusatum''), and mixed coniferous forests up to the {{convert|2,004|m|ft|abbr=on}} summit of Jebel Babor.<ref name="Lars Svensson"/><ref name="van den Berg">{{cite journal |last1=van den Berg |first1=Arnoud B. |title=PhotoSpot 11. Algerian Nuthatch |journal=British Birds |date=1985 |volume=78 |issue=5 |pages=265–268}}</ref> It appreciates humid forests with large trees offering cavities, including [[Abies numidica|Algerian fir]] (''Abies numidica''), [[Cedrus atlantica|Atlas cedar]] (''Cedrus atlantica''), [[Populus tremula|aspen]] (''Populus tremula''), [[Quercus afares|Afares oak]] (''Quercus afares''), [[Quercus suber|cork oak]] (''Quercus suber'') and [[Quercus faginea|Portuguese oak]] (''Quercus faginea'').<ref>{{cite book|last1=Abdelguerfi |first1=Aïssa |last2=Ramdane |first2=SA |url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.naturevivante.org%2Fdocuments%2Fstrategie%2Ftome4.pdf%2Findex.html#federation=archive.wikiwix.com|title= Implementations of general measures for in situ and ex situ conservation and sustainable use, including national plans, strategies and legislation - Annexes |publisher=Ministry for Planning and Environment|date=2003|page=125}}</ref><ref name="van den Berg"/> The Babor Mountains, dominated by fir and cedar forest, offer a cool and humid climate, with snow up to 4 metres deep in winter and persisting until May;<ref name="van den Berg"/> in the Guerrouch, oaks are dominant and the climate is warmer and drier.<ref name="Harrap"/> At lower altitudes, such as Tamentout, forests are dominated by cork oak, and stand densities are lower than at higher altitudes (above {{convert|1,000|m|ft|abbr=on}}), where this species is replaced by deciduous oaks such as [[Quercus canariensis|Algerian oak]] (''Quercus canariensis'') and Afares oak.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Monticelli |first1=D. |last2=Legrand |first2=V. |title= Identification of Algerian Nuthatch|journal=Birding World |volume=22|issue=8|date=2009|pages=333–335}}</ref> A study conducted in Mount Babor between the summers of 1981 and 1982 showed that the factors apparently favourable to the Algerian nuthatch in this massif were "the diversity of tree species, the size (or age) of the trees and indirectly the climate at altitude".<ref name="Dynamics"/>

== Status and threats ==
[[File:Algerian nuthatch by Aissa Djamel Filali (cropped).jpg|right|thumb|alt=A grey bird at the branch of tree|An individual photographed near [[Minar Zarza]], in the southeast of the species' distribution.]]

===Numbers and status===
When the Algerian nuthatch was discovered, ornithologists estimated that the species numbered only a dozen pairs and it was feared that "its rarity would attract collectors" and that the announcement of its discovery would cause its disappearance.<ref name="Paul Géroudet "/> The discovery in 1989 of the much larger population of the park of Taza shows that the species is less threatened than it seemed, and that its endemism is not limited to Babor Mountains.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Bellatrèche |first1=Mohamed |last2=Chalabi |first2=Bouzid |title=New data on the distribution area of the Kabyle nuthatch Sitta lendanti |journal=Alauda |date=1990|volume=58|issue=2|pages=95–97}}</ref> The current distribution of the Algerian nuthatch seems to be limited by that of the forests that support it, and the fragmentation of populations may indicate that the species was once more widespread, before [[deforestation]] isolated it in the small islands of greenery that it populates today.<ref name="Harrap"/> The Algerian nuthatch has a small population: its numbers may not exceed 1,000 individuals. The bird is placed in the category of species with 250–999 mature individuals, which corresponds to 350–1,500 individuals in all. Although there are no precise figures to confirm this, these numbers are considered to be declining due to the reduction in habitat that the species is experiencing.<ref name="BirdLife International" /> The Algerian nuthatch has been considered "[[Endangered species|endangered]]" by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] since 1994.<ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021"/>

===Threats===
The main threat to the Algerian nuthatch is the destruction of its habitat. Fires, in particular, are destroying the old mixed forests on the top of Mount Babor, which are being replaced by poorer vegetation dominated by cedars. Cattle grazing and illegal deforestation (Mount Babor and Tamentout) are another threat to the habitat, even in Taza National Park.<ref name="Harrap"/><ref name="BirdLife International"/> The construction of a motor road in the 1970s, which led to soil erosion and an increased risk of fire, or the fight against terrorism in the region, which is a source of disturbance for the species.<ref name="BirdLife International"/><ref name="Simon Harrap"/> The Algerian nuthatch may have several predators during incubation, such as the [[least weasel|weasel]] (''Mustela nivalis''), the [[garden dormouse]] (''Eliomys quercinus'') and the great spotted woodpecker.<ref name="Jacques Vielliard 4"/>

===Protection===
The species is protected in Algeria as one of 32 species listed in Decree No. 83-509 of 20 August 1983 on protected non-domestic animal species.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bendjedid |first=Chadli |url=https://cites.org/sites/default/files/eng/cop/14/inf/E14i-23.pdf|journal=Official Journal of the Algerian Republic|title= Decree No. 83-509 of 20 August 1983 relating to protected non-domestic animal species|date=20 August 1983}}</ref> The nuthatch was included in a 1980 petition by the [[BirdLife International]] requesting that the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]] add 60 foreign species to the federal endangered lists.<ref name="Fish and Wildlife Service">{{cite journal |author=Department of the Interior - Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1995-01-12/pdf/95-832.pdf#page=1|title=Addition of 30 African Birds to List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife|journal=Federal Register|volume=60|issue=8|date=12 January 1995|pages=2899–2905}}</ref> This request was published in the official gazette of the United States. The petition was published in the ''[[Federal Register]]'' the following year,<ref>{{cite journal |author=Department of the Interior - Fish and Wildlife Service, Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants|url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https%3A%2F%2Fecos.fws.gov%2Fdocs%2Ffederal_register%2Ffr538.pdf|title=Addition of 30 African Birds to List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife|journal=Federal Register|volume=46|issue=91|date=12 May 1981|pages=26464–26469 }}</ref> but these species, including the Algerian nuthatch, were not added to the endangered species lists until 1995.<ref name="Fish and Wildlife Service"/>

The largest population is found in a protected area, the Taza National Park.<ref name="Simon Harrap"/> To safeguard the species, it is important about the size of the existing populations and their ecological preferences. However, protective measures have already been put forward, including habitat restoration or preservation through reforestation, planting of firewood outside of existing forests, and fire prevention.<ref name="BirdLife International"/> The Algerian nuthatch is a [[flagship species]] for the preservation of the Babor Mountains forest.<ref>{{cite book|title=Save the birds|date=1989|author1=Anthony W. Diamond |author2=Rudolf L. Schreiber |author3=Roger Tory Peterson |author4=Walter Cronkite|pages=384 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-395-51172-5 |oclc=19624924}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q780476}}

[[Category:Nuthatches]]
[[Category:Birds of North Africa]]
[[Category:Endemic fauna of Algeria]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1976]]