and earthworms. On average, four young are fledged at 15–19 days of age. Parasites In a Turkish study published in 2012, the Krüper's nuthatch was found to host blood protists of the genera Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon, but none of the 67 individuals studied was parasitized by Plasmodium. Distribution and habitat The Krüper's nuthatch is found almost entirely in Turkey, where it is common in western Anatolia, and where it also lives along the Mediterranean coast in the Taurus Mountains and along the Black Sea coast north of the country, as far as southern Georgia. It also lives on the Greek island of Lesbos and is vagrant in mainland Greece, where it was observed for example at Thessaloniki in October 1955. In 2010, a new nesting area was reported in central Anatolia, in Yozgat province, on the Ak mountains. The site consists of pure Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest, and may support around 560 individuals. The Krüper's nuthatch has a very close relationship with the Turkish pine (Pinus brutia), and the range of the bird almost overlaps that of the tree. Outlying populations of Turkish pine in the Crimea, northwestern Syria, Lebanon, northern Iraq, and Azerbaijan may have once held Krüper's nuthatches, or may still hold undiscovered populations. The Krüper's nuthatch is sedentary, but undertakes small dispersals after the breeding season. Seasonal altitudinal shifts have also been noted, with some birds, possibly adults in their first year, moving down from the high ground in winter to mixed or deciduous forests. The bird is then even commonly observed in the Sochi Arboretum, which has many conifers. The Krüper's nuthatch lives in temperate coniferous forests from sea level up to around 2,000 cm of elevation, locally to the tree line at 2,500 m. In Turkey, it lives mainly between 1,000m and 1,600 m and inhabits the forests of Turkish pine, Caucasian spruce (Picea orientalis), Nordmann fir (Abies nordmanniana), Cilician fir (Abies cilicica), black pine (Pinus nigra) and cedar of Lebanon (Cedrus libani). The population densities in individuals per square kilometer are 12.7, 11.6, 8.5, and 7.8 respectively in the forests of black pine, cilician fir, cedar of Lebanon, and pine of Calabria. At higher altitudes, it can live among junipers (Juniperus). In the Caucasus, it prefers spruce forests between 1,000 m and 2,000 m, but also Nordmann fir and pine forests. Status and threats The Krüper's nuthatch is common in Anatolia, but numbers