BIRDS: PASSERINES: NUTHATCHES

White-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis

Family Sittidae (Nuthatches)

Size: 5.75"

Season: Year-round

Habitat: Mixed oak or coniferous woodlands

The white-breasted nuthatch has a large head and a wide neck, short, rounded wings, and a short tail. It is blue-gray above and pale gray below, with rusty smudging on the lower flanks and undertail coverts. The breast and face are white, and a black crown merges with the mantle. The bill is long, thin, and upturned at the tip. To forage, the white-breasted nuthatch creeps head first down tree trunks to pick out insects and seeds. Its voice is a nasal, repetitive auk, auk, auk. It nests in tree cavities high off the ground. The adult male is illustrated.