Nuthatches in North America

Head over heels for this month's "Top Billing", the white-breasted nuthatch? We foraged up the goods on the three other nuthatches found in North America. It's sure to make you sing.

Red-Breasted Nuthatch

Come near this songbird's nest, and it'll see red. The red-breasted nuthatch is definitely aggressive in protecting the roost, and accordingly applies sticky pine sap around the entrance to its nesting cavity. If you're lucky enough to spot one, you'll understand what the fuss is all about.

• Scientific Name: Sitta Canadensis.
• Family: Common nuthatch.
• Length: 4-1/2 inches.
• Wingspan: 8-1/2 inches.
• Distinctive Markings: Black eye-line with a white stripe directly above it; rust-colored breast. Female similar with a paler belly.
• Nest: Digs a cavity in a tree or uses a nest box or abandoned woodpecker hole, rubbing pine pitch at entrance to deter predators. Female lays five to six whitish eggs with brown spots.
• Song: High-pitched, nasal "yenk, yenk, yenk."
• Habitat: Northern and high-elevation evergreen forests and wooded backyards.
• Diet: Insects, berries, nuts and seeds.
• Backyard Favorites: Sunflower seeds and suet.

Pygmy Nuthatch

Whoever coined the phrase "birds of a feather" was surely inspired by the unique nesting habits of the pygmy nuthatch. These nuthatches rarely sleep alone, with dozens of the songbirds huddling together in the same cavity roost with other similar songbirds. Also, past offspring help raise nestlings.

• Scientific Name: Sitta pygmaea.
• Family: Common nuthatch.
• Length: 4-1/4 inches.
• Wingspan: 7-3/4 inches.
• Distinctive Markings: Dark eye-line; gray back and wings with pale spot at nape; buffy white underside.
• Nest: Digs a cavity in pine or uses a nest box. Female lays five to nine white eggs with sparse, reddish-brown specks.
• Song: Rapid, high-pitched chips "bip, bip, bip."
• Habitat: Western pine forests.
• Diet: Insects and seeds.
• Backyard Favorites:Peanuts and suet.

Brown-Headed Nuthatch

This bird isn't just pretty, it's handy, too. The brown-headed nuthatch is one of the only birds to forage with a tool, using a piece of bark in its bill to lift other bark in search of insects. Now that's using your birdbrain.

• Scientific Name: Sitta pusilla.
• Family: Common nuthatch.
• Length: 4-1/2 inches.
• Wingspan: 7-3/4 inches.
• Distinctive Markings: Almost same as pygmy, except a larger pale spot at nape and a brownish crown.
• Nest: Digs a low cavity in a tree or uses a nest box. Female lays up to six white eggs with brown spots.
• Song: Harsh "pik, pik" chirps followed by chickadee-like "dee, dee, dee."
• Habitat: Southeastern pinelands.
• Diet: Insects and seeds.
• Backyard Favorites: Nuts and suet.