nuthatch

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of several small, short-tailed birds of the family Sittidae, having a long sharp bill and known for climbing down trees headfirst. Also called nutcracker.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A bird of the family Sittidæ. There are many species, found in most parts of the world, all of small size, usually less than six inches long, and mostly of a bluish color above and white or rusty on the under parts. They have a rather long, sharp, straight beak, pointed wings, short square tail, and feet fitted for climbing, and are among the most agile of creepers. The common nuthatch of Europe is Sitta europæa or S. cæsia. Four quite distinct species are found in the United States. These are the Carolina or white-bellied nuthatch, S. carolinensis; the Canada or red-bellied, S. canadensis; the least nuthatch of the southern States, S. pusilla; and the pygmy nuthatch of the southwestern States and Territories, S. pygmæa. They live upon small hard fruits and insects, are not migratory, do not sing, and nest in holes in trees, which they excavate like woodpeckers. Also called nutbreaker, nuthacker, nutjobber, nutpecker, nuttapper.

Wiktionary

1. n. Any of various small passerine birds from the family Sittidae found throughout the Northern hemisphere that have the unusual ability to climb down trees head first.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of birds of the genus Sitta, as the European species (Sitta Europæa). The white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta Carolinensis), the red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta Canadensis), the pygmy nuthatch (Sitta pygmæa), and others, are American.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. any of various small short-tailed songbirds with strong feet and a sharp beak that feed on small nuts and insects