222 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



DESCRIPTION. Adult male. Winter. Whole upper-parts uniform 

 blue-grey ; indistinct ashy-grey mark over eye ; broad black stripe 

 from nostrils, through lores and eye to side of back of neck often 



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The British Nuthatch (Sitta e. britannica). 



reaching the " shoulders " where it tends to become spread ; under 

 eye, most ear-coverts, chin and upper -throat white ; rest of throat, 

 breast and belly buff ; flanks chestnut and buff ; under tail- 

 coverts buffish-white broadly fringed chestnut ; axillaries pale 

 buff ; under wing-coverts black with white patch at base of outer 

 primaries ; tail : central pair as upper-parts, rest black tipped 

 grey, three outermost pairs with white patch on inner web above 

 grey tip and outermost pair with similar white patch also on outer 

 web ; primaries black-brown very narrowly fringed blue-grey on 

 outer webs and more broadly white on inner webs, outer feathers 

 with concealed white bases and with a slight ashy mark on outer 

 web where emargination begins ; secondaries black-brown with 

 outer webs more broadly edged blue-grey than primaries and 

 innermost feathers mostly blue-grey ; primary-coverts black- 

 brown fringed blue-grey on outer webs ; rest of wing-coverts blue- 

 grey with brownish tinge on inner webs. This plumage is acquired 

 by complete moult in August. Slimmer. No moult. Abrasion 

 causes buff of under-parts to become a little paler. 



Adult female. Winter and summer. Like adult male, but 

 chestnut of flanks usually paler. 



Nestling. (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. Like adult, but upper-parts duller and tinged 

 brownish, stripe through lores and eye brown-black, flanks and 

 under tail-coverts buff and dull rusty-red rather than bright 

 chestnut. 



First winter. Male and female. Like adult. The juvenile 

 body-feathers and lesser and median wing-coverts are moulted in 

 July-Aug., but not greater coverts, primary-coverts nor wing- or 

 tail-feathers. 



Measurements and structure. wing 83-88 mm., tail 43-46, 

 tarsus 19-20, bill from skull 18-20 (12 measured). $ wing 80-86. 

 Primaries : 1st twice as long or one-third longer than primary- 

 coverts and about one-third as long as 2nd, 4th and 5th longest, 

 3rd 1-2 mm. shorter, 2nd 6-11 shorter, 6th 2-4 shorter ; 3rd to 5th 



