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, 2011Female
Females have a gray crown and paler rusty underparts compared to males.
© Frank Pinilla | Macaulay LibraryOntario, February 05, 2019Female
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
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Species in This Family
Nuthatches(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Sittidae)
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