Breeding Biology of the Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea in Northern Japan

. Studies on the breeding biology of the Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea are scarce due to its habit of nesting in natural cavities and relative reluctance to use nest boxes. Over six years of studies on cavity-nesting birds, we observed a total of nine pairs of Eurasian Nuthatch nesting in nest boxes set in deciduous and mixed forest habitats in Hokkaido, Japan (42 ° 40 ′ N, 141 ° 36 ′ E). Here, we report their general breeding parameters and some characteristics of their reproduction. Mean laying date was 8 May ( n ＝ 9), and mean clutch size was 7.8 ( n ＝ 9). Incubation and nestling periods were 18.6 days ( n ＝ 7) and 20.4 days ( n ＝ 5), respec-tively. Hatching and fledging successes were 87.3 ％ ( n ＝ 7) and 85.3 ％ ( n ＝ 5), respectively.