Endangered
Algerian Nuthatch
Sitta ledanti
Algerian Nuthatch is a perching bird in the family Sittidae (order Passeriformes) — Sitta ledanti, recorded as Endangered and tied to Algeria.
Appearance
The 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 undertail coverts. The latter are grey at their base. The male has a black forehead and a dark eyestripe, separated from the crown by a broad, sharp white supercilium.
The Algerian nuthatch is a medium-sized nuthatch. It measures between 11.5 cm (4.5 in) and 12.5 cm (4.9 in), and weighs about 18 grams (0.63 oz).
Range 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. Its optimal habitat covers only 2.5 km2 (0.97 sq mi), and the area is home to only 80 pairs according to a 1985 estimate.
Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.
Diet and 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. In Taza National Park, the breeding season ends in late June.
The nest is built in a tree hole, perhaps excavated by a great spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopos major), in a dead fir tree or in holes in an oak or cedar tree, and is usually placed between 4–15 m (13–49 ft) from the ground. While incubation is carried out by the female alone (the male does not have a brood patch), both parents feed the young.
In crisis
The bird has only a limited and relict range, threatened by fire, erosion and human action. The species is therefore considered "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The main threat to the Algerian nuthatch is the destruction of its habitat. Cattle grazing and illegal deforestation (Mount Babor and Tamentout) are another threat to the habitat, even in Taza National Park.
The Algerian nuthatch may have several predators during incubation, such as the weasel (Mustela nivalis), the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) and the great spotted woodpecker.
Algerian Nuthatch is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.
Sources
Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Algerian Nuthatch, Wikidata item Q780476. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.
