22 January 2015
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta canadensis

The many ways that nuthatches can maneuver, make it one of the easiest birds to identify. They travel with other small birds like chickadees and kinglets in the forest canopy but break apart from the crowd to creep along the bark and branches of trees (up, down or sideways) looking for insects. Their long bills are perfect for this task and their short tails make traveling smooth.

The easiest way to tell Red-breasted from White-breasted Nuthatch is the pale orange underparts, but the black eye stripe is also a prominent feature. Red are smaller than White. They are barrel-chested and have a solid gray back. Their nasal call sounds like “ank” or “ink”.

Thanks to Jerry Smith for catching this upside-down pose.