In 2014, Eric Pasquet, "et al." published a phylogeny based on examination of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA of 21 nuthatch species. The position of the beautiful nuthatch within the genus was not established with certainty, having a far lower statistical association than others in the model. Nevertheless, under the findings the species appears closest evolutionarily to three clades of nuthatches: two nuthatches that prefer rocky environments, the western rock nuthatch ("S. neumayer") and the eastern rock nuthatch ("S. tephronota"); species in the "europaea" group, including the Eurasian nuthatch ("S. europaea"), Siberian nuthatch ("S. arctica"), chestnut-vented nuthatch ("S. nagaensis"), Kashmir nuthatch ("S. cashmirensis"), Indian nuthatch ("S. castanea"), chestnut-bellied nuthatch ("S. cinnamoventris") and the Burmese nuthatch ("S. neglecta"); as well as the white-tailed nuthatch ("S. himalayensis"), and therefore, the white-browed nuthatch ("S. victoriae"). These close relatives are generally all species that plaster the entrance to their nest with mud.