Nuthatches

Pygmy Nuthatch

Keith Moore/NPS

Pygmy Nuthatch

 

White-breasted Nuthatch

Keith Moore/NPS

Sitta carolinensis

Weight: 0.6-1.1 oz (18-30 g)
Length: 5.1-5.5 in (13-14 cm)
Wingspan: 7.9-10.6 in (20-27 cm)

 

Habitat

Shaded deciduous and mixed conifer forests.

Diet

Mostly consumes insects in the summer and seeds in the winter.

Identification

The White-breasted Nuthatch is the largest of all nuthatches, but it is still a small bird. They have a large head, almost no neck, a short tail, and a narrow bill that is straight or slightly upturned. The White-breasted Nuthatch has a gray-blue back, a white face and underparts, a black or grey “cap” on top of its head, and a chestnut colored lower belly and underneath its tail.

Listen carefully for their ik & ik-up calls interspersed with the tapping sounds as they peck into the bark in search of insects.

Behavior

Agile birds that are commonly seen hanging sideways or upside down along the tree trunks, probing the bark with their bills in search of insects that reside underneath. Their tails are not used as a kickstand as seen with woodpeckers.

White-breasted Nuthatch pairs remain on nesting territory all year, or may even mate for life. Nest sites are usually large natural cavities or holes carved out by woodpeckers. Sometimes they will create their own cavity within a tree. Females build the nest within the cavity with bark fibers, twigs, grass, or hair.

Conservation

Widespread and common, with population numbers either stable or increasing.

When and Where to See at Bryce

Commonly seen in shaded forests. Typically associated with deciduous forests, but can also been seen in the mixed conifer forests in Bryce.

Further Reading

White-breasted Nuthatch | Audubon Field Guide

White-breasted Nuthatch Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology