Southeast Birds

Nuthatch

Description

The male White Breasted Nuthatch has a black nape and crown with a white face and chest. He has a long gray beak and his legs and feet are brown with a light brown above his legs and on his rear. His back is blue and his wings are mostly blue, white, and black striped on top, and underneath is white with a black patch. He has short tail feathers matching his wings.

The female is similar to the male but duller in color and some may have a gray cap instead of black, which also may be smaller.

They are a small bird weighing between .6 to 1.6 ounces. Their length can be between 5 to 6 inches with a wingspan of 8 to 11 inches.

Habitat

White Breasted Nuthatch

The White Breasted Nuthatch is a residential bird and usually found in wooded areas all over North America. Large deciduous trees such as Oak, Maple and Hickory trees with holes in them provide a good nesting environment. They can also be found in coniferous forests but not as often.

Diet

You can readily find the White Breasted Nuthatch foraging upside down in bark for larvae, spiders, or insects. They will also feed on seed, nuts, acorns and crop such as corn. They frequently visit feeders that contain nuts and sunflower seeds.

Facts

- In winter the White Breasted Nuthatch will flock with other birds such as Titmice and Chickadees.

- The name “Nuthatch” comes from the way they will stick nuts in crevices or bark and hatch them open with their beak.

- They store food in tree bark. This is why they make several short trips to the feeder.

- The female builds the nest out of cavities of dead or almost dead trees commonly reusing the same nest in following years.

- Their numbers are stable as long as dead trees are left in forests for these birds and other cavity dwelling creatures. Over pruning could end up hurting the numbers of a lot of birds and small animals.

Learn more about the White Breasted Nuthatch at Wikipedia.

White-breasted Nuthatch
Nuthatch