Sitta pygmaea
Silhouette: Alan and Elaine Wilson (Modified) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The pygmy nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea) is a tiny songbird, native to western North America. The pygmy nuthatch is 9–11 cm (3.5–4.3 in) long and with a wingspan of 19.7 cm (7.8 in), and weighs 9.3–11.4 g (0.33–0.40 oz). It ranges from southern British Columbia south through various discontinuous parts of the western U.S. (northwest U.S., Sierra Nevada range, southern Rockies, etc.), to central Mexico. It is usually found in pines (especially ponderosa pine), douglas-fir, and other conifers. Pygmy nuthatches clamber acrobatically in the foliage of these trees, feeding on insects and seeds; less often they creep along limbs or the trunk like bigger nuthatches.
Pygmy nuthatches nest in cavities in dead stubs of conifers, lining the bottom of the cavity with pine cone scales, plant fibers, and other soft plant and animal materials. They may fill cracks or crevices around the entrance with fur; the function of this behavior is unknown. The female lays 4–9 eggs, which are white with fine reddish-brown spotting. She does most of the incubation, which lasts about 16 days. The young leave the nest about 22 days after hatching.
This species is highly gregarious. A nesting pair may... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Glacier National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pygmy Nuthatch sighting in Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 235 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 73rd most-seen of the 169 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March–April, June–October and December–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pygmy Nuthatch in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, May and November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pygmy Nuthatch sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Pygmy Nuthatch sightings, Yosemite National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Rocky Mountain National Park (United States, about 60%) and Grand Canyon National Park (United States, about 30%).
Same genus: Sitta
The closest relatives of the Pygmy Nuthatch that you can see in Yosemite National Park (genus Sitta, Nuthatches) are Red-breasted Nuthatch (about 60%) and White-breasted Nuthatch (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pygmy Nuthatch is recorded against all the birds logged in Yosemite National Park (235 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
