White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis
They are the only birds in North America that routinely climb down tree trunks headfirst.
- Scientific name
- Sitta carolinensis
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Sittidae › Sitta
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous and mixed forests, particularly those with oak, maple, and hickory trees.
- Diet
- Insects such as beetles and caterpillars during summer; seeds, acorns, and nuts in winter.
- Range
- North America, Southern Canada, United States, Mexico
- Size
- 13-15 cm length, 18-30g weight
- Lifespan
- 2 to 9 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Deforestation, removal of dead trees (snags) used for nesting, and window collisions.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and often bold near bird feeders. Observe from a distance to watch their unique head-first descent. No special precautions needed; they pose no threat to humans.
The white-breasted nuthatch ( Sitta carolinensis ) is a small songbird of the nuthatch family which breeds in old-growth woodland across much of temperate North America. It is a stocky bird, with a large head, short tail, powerful bill, and strong feet. The upperparts are pale blue-gray, and the face and underparts are white. It has a black cap and a chestnut lower belly. The nine subspecies differ mainly in the color of the body plumage.
Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/c121fdcd-9fd9-4bf7-b770-0443df2050f8.md