Bahama nuthatch

Bahama nuthatch
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Sittidae
Genus:	Sitta
Species:	S. pusilla
Subspecies:	S. p. insularis
Trinomial name
Sitta pusilla insularis Bond, 1931

The Bahama nuthatch (Sitta (pusilla) insularis) is an endangered subspecies of nuthatch endemic to the pineyards of Grand Bahama island in the Bahamas. It is usually considered a subspecies of the brown-headed nuthatch, although some authorities recognize it as a distinct species. It has some notable differences from its mainland counterpart, including a darker brown facial stripe, a longer bill, shorter wings, and a unique warbling call. Research using genetic markers indicates that both species likely diverged around 685,000 years prior. Due to its very restricted range, it is highly threatened by habitat destruction and degradation, fires, and hurricane damage. Invasive species may also play a role. Surveys indicate a population size of only 1,800 individuals, but even this may be optimistic, as only 23 individuals were spotted in 2007, and likely even lower following Hurricane Matthew.

A 2018 joint study conducted by the University of East Anglia and the University of the Bahamas on Grand Bahama island indicates that after habitat damage sustained by Hurricane Matthew, as few as two individuals may be left in the wild, making it one of the most critically endangered bird species currently known. Prior to the study the bird was feared extinct as there had been no sightings between 2016 and 2018.

See also

• Cozumel trasher, another endangered Caribbean bird that may have also been wiped out or reduced to critical levels following a devastating hurricane.