Skip to Content Area

All About Birds

Donate

All About Birds

All About Birds

Birds
Live Cams
Courses
Bird ID

Red-breasted Nuthatch Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Song
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
New York, April 25, 2020Recorded by Martha Fischer | Macaulay Library
Song
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
California, June 05, 1991Recorded by Dave Herr | Macaulay Library
Song
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
New York, June 23, 2013Recorded by Matthew D. Medler | Macaulay Library
Calls
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
New York, May 31, 1999Recorded by Wil Hershberger | Macaulay Library
Calls
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
Nebraska, December 22, 2019Recorded by Chris Wood | Macaulay Library
Calls
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
California, October 19, 2019Recorded by Paul Fenwick | Macaulay Library
Calls
Media Player Error
Update your browser or Flash plugin
Maryland, December 28, 1997Recorded by Wil Hershberger | Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Songs

Red-breasted Nuthatches sing a fast series of nasal, hornlike notes that sound like yank-yank. Songs can have 6 or more of these notes each, and the songs themselves can be repeated up to 16 times per minute. It’s unmated males that sing this most frequently. Males and females sometimes sing a similar but slower and harsher version of this song when they are defending their territory.

Calls

The yank note can also be given as a call by both sexes (though more often by the male) as a way of communicating between the pair. This note can be sped up until it sounds like a vibrating trill, typically given from near the nest just at the end of nest excavation or beginning of egg-laying. During confrontations, chases or copulation, nuthatches may make a phew call, and agitated birds sometimes make a wrenlike scolding call.

Compare with Similar Species

Click on an image to compare

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Black-and-white Warbler

Looking for ID Help?

Get Instant ID help for 650+ North American birds.

Try Merlin Bird ID

Species in This Family

Nuthatches(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Sittidae)

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Browse Species in This Family

More to Read

A bird keeps flying into my window or car mirror, on purpose. What should I do?
Living Bird Magazine
Snowy Owls Aren't Starving: Two Canadian Farmers Help Bust a Pervasive Myth
eBird
eBird: Help & FAQ

Which birds are the best mimics?
Why do hummingbirds fight so much?
Bird Academy
All About Feathers

About Us

Contact Us

© 2023 Cornell University

Need Bird ID Help? Try Merlin

Search for species name or keywords

Or Browse Bird Guide by Family or Shape

Need Bird ID Help? Try Merlin

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.