The nuthatches constitute a genus – "Sitta" – of small passerine birds in the family Sittidae, typified by short, compressed wings and short, square 12-feathered , a compact body, longish pointed , strong toes with long claws, and behaviorally, by their unique head-first manner of descending tree trunks. Most nuthatches have gray or bluish and a black eyestripe. "Sitta" is derived from the Ancient Greek name for nuthatches, , "sittē". ""Nuthatch"", first recorded in 1350, is derived from "nut" and a word probably related to "hack", since these birds hack at nuts they have wedged into crevices. The genus may be further divided into seven subgenera, of which the beautiful nuthatch is placed alone in "Callisitta" (Bonaparte, 1850), and the species is therefore sometimes called "Callisitta Formosa".