Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)
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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.     Return to Nuthatches

Red-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 4 inches. Male: Legs and tail short. Head with a black cap and prominent black stripe running through the eye to the base of the wing. Black stripe contrasting with the white above and below the eye. Back blue-gray. Tail with lateral white stripes. Lower body orange-brown. Female: Similar to the male, but slightly duller. Similar Species:  The body of both the White-breasted Nuthatch and the Brown-headed Nuthatch are white, not orange-brown. Both of these species lack a contrasting black stripe through the eye. Breeding Range (see map below): The Red-breasted Nuthatch breeds throughout the Canadian Provinces, the western United States and the northern tier of the eastern United States. Overwintering Range:  This species overwinters throughout most of North America. Habitat: The Red-breasted Nuthatch is found in coniferous forest, particularly in stands of pine. Food:  Insectivorous during the spring, summer, and fall feeding on insects gleaned from the bark of tree trunks and limbs. During the winter the species switches to the seeds of conifers. Behavior: Nuthatches live on the trunks and limbs of trees, climbing upward or downward headfirst. The birds are agile on the trees, but their flight is irregular. The call is similar to that of the White-breasted Nuthatch, a yank-yank, but is softer and more nasal. Reproduction:  A clutch consists of 5 to 6 white eggs spotted with brownish red. The nest is a cup of twigs and grass lined with moss and feathers placed in a tree hole. The entrance of the tree hole is smeared with tree pitch. Notes:  The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a smaller species than the the White-breasted Nuthatch. It spends relatively more time on twigs and eats smaller insects than does its larger sister species.

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