SITTA Eur. in NEW DESIGN ? PUDS BRILLERNE ! *************************** ENGLISH Strange that this Extremely sharp Eur. Nuthatch apparently has a Distinct led-dark BELLY !! Any explanation or comment? Ever seen before ? _________________ DANSK Et rigtig smukt og skarpt nærbillede, inkl. typisk hvidt på undernæbbet, MOGENS. Men den har jo en 'aldrig før set' uomtvistelig skarpt markeret mørkt bly- grå mave! Har nogen en kommentar/forklaring til dét?? Set før? K. rgds. / VH ........ C.

English: Carsten, The grey colour of lower breast and belly is caused by something called 'featherbite' (don't know the english term for this phenonema), so what you see are the grey bases of the feathers. The pale distal part of each feather is absent -broken off- thus giving the false impression of a dark belly. On this bird you can actually see that the demarcation line between damaged and undamaged feathers is quite clearcut, and you can see that the feathers are neatly cut as if by a pair of scissors! Why and how this 'defect' occur I will let more knowledgeable folks explain....if they feel so inclined. Dansk: Den grå bug skyldes noget der betegnes 'fjerbid': Hver fjer er knækket af på midten, således at de lysfarvede ydre dele er væk og kun de mørke baser af hver fjer er tilbage. Forklaringen på denne tilstand må andre og klogere hoveder forklare....hvis de altså har lyst. Mvh. Peter