n. [ OE. nuthake. See 2d Hack. ] (Zool.) Any one of several species of birds of the genus Sitta, as the European species (Sitta Europaea). The white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta Carolinensis), the red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta Canadensis), the pygmy nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea), and others, are American. [ 1913 Webster ]