Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla)
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A Field Guide to Eastern Birds. by Roger Tory Peterson.     Return to Nuthatches

Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) Identification: Length from tip of bill to tip of tail 3.5 to 4 inches. Tail and legs short, head relatively large. Crown of head brown margined below by a black stripe through the eye. Rear margin of crown with a white patch. Lower half of head, breast, nape, and abdomen white. Back dull gray-blue. Similar Species:  The crowns of the head of both the White-breasted Nuthatch and the Red-breasted Nuthatch are black, not brown. The Brown-headed Nuthatch is most similar to the White-breasted Nuthatch, but has the brown (not black) crown and is a smaller bird by at least an inch. Breeding Range (see map below): The Brown-headed Nuthatch is a species of the southeastern United States ranging from Delaware in the north southward to Florida and westward to eastern Texas. Overwintering Range: Identical to the Breeding Range. Habitat: The Brown-headed Nuthatch is found in pine forest and mixed woodlands. Food: Insectivorous during the spring, summer, and fall, switching to a partially seed derived diet in the winter. 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 Brown-headed Nuthatch is a smaller bird than either the other two eastern Nuthatches and spends a larger amount of its time among the twigs and small branches of the trees. The call is a series of high pipping notes and is very different from the yank-yank call of the other two eastern Nuthatches. Reproduction:  A clutch consists of 5 to 6 white eggs heavily spotted with red-brown. The nest is a cup of bark, grass, and feathers located in a tree cavity or under large slabs of dead bark. Notes: The Brown-headed Nuthatch is frequently found in flocks of woodpeckers, chickadees, and warblers outside of the breeding season.

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