Date: 6/10/25 12:41 pm From: Carl Ebeling via groups.io <Carl.Ebeling...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Apparent tool use by Paso Picacho Pygmy Nuthatch
It was only upon review of the photos that we found that we had observed and documented what appears to be the use of tool by at least one individual Pygmy Nuthatch (PYNU) while it was foraging for insects to take back to a confirmed nesting cavity nearby.
Results of a quick literature search indicate that the use of objects in this manner has been documented before in Brown-headed and White-breasted Nuthatch species (with that behavior apparently more common in the former). However, we were able to find only a single reference (undated and via a personal communication) to an observation of comparable Pygmy Nuthatch behavior (in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeast Arizona).
The checklist referenced above includes seven PYNU images, with several showing the apparent tool very well and from different angles. (additional photos---but of lower quality---exist).
Bird early and bird often,
Carl Ebeling and Michelle Merrigan South Mission Hills
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