White-breasted Nuthatch Photo Gallery
Male
Compact, no-necked and short-tailed bird with a long, sharply pointed bill. Note blue-gray back, stark white cheeks, and black cap. From below, it has a white belly and rusty spots near its rear.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, February 22, 2011Female
Compact bird that clings to tree bark moving down, up, and around the trees. Females look like males but have a grayer cap. Note rusty patches near the rear.
© Denis Allard / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, December 24, 2020Female
Famous for perching upside-down on tree trunks. While they don't always go downwards, this tendency gives them a very recognizable posture with the head craned upward and backward to reach horizontal.
© Tim Laman / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, March 15, 2009Not all videos have soundMale
Small and compact with a big head and short tail. Blue-gray above with a black crown and stark white cheeks.
© Gordon Dimmig / Macaulay LibraryPennsylvania, April 15, 2011Male
A common visitor to bird feeders, where they eat sunflower seeds, peanuts, and more.
© Ryan Sanderson / Macaulay LibraryIndiana, December 23, 2020Female
Females have a gray crown and paler rusty underparts compared to males.
© Frank Pinilla / Macaulay LibraryOntario, February 05, 2019Adult
Western birds have darker upperparts and other subtle differences from Eastern birds, but the best way to differentiate groups is by voice.
© Ian Davies / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, May 24, 2020Juvenile
Juvenile stays with parents for several weeks after fledging before dispersing.
© Jim Merritt / Macaulay LibraryColorado, June 28, 2020Adult
In flight, note the white patches in the tail and underwings.
© Steve Kolbe / Macaulay LibraryMichigan, May 16, 2017Female
Nests in holes in trees created naturally or excavated by woodpeckers.
© Andrew Dreelin / Macaulay LibraryGeorgia, April 12, 2020Habitat
Found most often in older deciduous woodlands, but also found in parks, wooded suburbs, and yards.
© Taylor Long / Macaulay LibraryArkansas, December 21, 2014Compare with Similar Species
Click on an image to compare
Species in This Family
Nuthatches(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Sittidae)
Don't miss a thing! Join our email list
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.