Sitta pusilla
adult
The Brown-headed Nuthatch is a dumpy-bodied forest bird, and the southeastern counterpart of the Pygmy Nuthatch. The sexes are similar. Adults have a blue-gray back, tail, and wings, with subtly paler fringes to the edges of the inner flight feathers. The cap is brown, the brown nape has a bold whitish spot at the rear, and the face and throat are white. The underparts are overall pale but with a blue-gray wash to the flanks and a faint buff suffusion on the breast and undertail. Juveniles are similar to adults but paler overall and less colorful.
The Brown-headed Nuthatch is present year-round in a southeastern range that is defined by the presence of mixed-age native pines, with standing dead wood for nesting. It is an active feeder, climbing headfirst down tree trunks (like other nuthatches) and searching for insects on the outermost twigs.
adult
FACT FILE
LENGTH 4.5 in (11.5 cm)
FOOD Invertebrates and seeds
HABITAT Pine forests
STATUS Widespread and common resident
VOICE Calls include various chirps and a nasal Ke-waa, like the sound of a child’s squeaky toy; these vocalizations may also serve as a song
