Nuthatch

nuthatch, any of about 25 species of short-tailed, long-billed birds in the family Sittidae (order Passeriformes), known for their abilities to grip tree bark as they walk up, down, and around trunks and branches and to hang upside down on the underside of tree limbs as they forage for insects and seeds. For their abilities they are sometimes called “upside-down birds.” By exploring in areas ignored by many other birds, such as woodpeckers (which travel up trees but not down), they find insects hidden in bark that other species overlook.

Nuthatches exploit crevices in other ways. They often store seeds in bark crevices and remember their locations for months. They also use crevices to hold a hard seed in place while “hacking it”—using the full force of their bodies to pound on the seed with their bills. All species are cavity nesters.

red-breasted nuthatch

Nuthatches live around the world, except in South America. The best-known species in North America are the red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta canadensis), a stubby, grayish, rufous-breasted, 10-gram (0.35-ounce) bird that often boldly approaches humans in northern conifer groves, and the white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis), a grayish, black-capped, white-breasted, 21-gram (0.74-ounce) bird that often frequents feeders, where it relishes sunflower seeds and suet.