Toponymie | Canton de Potton | Place Names

Sitelle in French is a nuthatch in English!  The upside-down bird that all grandmothers with curious grandchildren know so well!  The nuthatches are a genus, Sitta, of small Passerine birds belonging to the Sittidae.  Characterized by large heads, short tails, and powerful bills and feet, nuthatches advertise their territory using loud, simple songs.  Most species exhibit grey or bluish upper parts and a black eye stripe.  Nuthatches are omnivorous, eating mostly insects, nuts and seeds.  They forage for insects hidden in or under bark by climbing along tree trunks and branches, sometimes upside-down.  Their habit of wedging a large food item in a crevice and then hacking at it with their strong bills gives this group its English name.^[1]