Nuthatches & Treecreepers

White-breasted nuthatch

White-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

The White-breasted nuthatch is the largest of all nuthatches, but it is still a small bird (5.1-5.5 in (13-14 cm)). They have a large head, almost no neck, a short tail, and a narrow bill that is straight or slightly upturned. The White-breasted Nuthatch has a gray-blue back, a white face and underparts, a black or grey “cap” on top of its head, and a chestnut colored lower belly and underneath its tail. They prefer shaded deciduous and mixed conifer forests where they mostly consume insects in the summer and seeds in the winter. Listen carefully for their ik & ik-up calls interspersed with the tapping sounds as they peck into the bark in search of insects.

Fun Facts: White-breasted nuthatches are agile birds that are commonly seen hanging sideways or upside down along the tree trunks, probing the bark with their bills in search of insects that reside underneath.

 

Red-breasted nuthatch

Red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)

The Red-breasted nuthatch measures approximately 4.3 in (11 cm) in length and lives in coniferous forests of spruce, fir, pine, hemlock, larch, and western red cedar. In summer, they eat mainly insects and other arthropods such as beetles, caterpillars, spiders, ants, and earwigs. In fall and winter they tend to eat conifer seeds, including seeds they cached earlier in the year. When given the choice they tend to select the heaviest food item available; if these are too large to eat in one piece they typically jam them into bark and then hammer them open. Red-breasted Nuthatches have very short tails and almost no neck with a plump or barrel-chested body, and very broad, short wings. They are blue-gray birds with a black cap and stripe through the eye broken up by a white stripe over the eye. The underparts are rich rusty-cinnamon, paler in females. They are noticeably smaller than the white-breasted nuthatch.

Fun Facts: These tiny, active birds live in tree canopies and their yank-yank calls sound like tiny tin horns in the treetops. Nuthatches are among the few non-woodpeckers that excavate their own nest cavities.

 

Pygmy nuthatch

Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea)

Pygmy Nuthatches live in pine forests in western North America especially favoring mature ponderosa pine forests. They are typically found at lower and middle elevations where ponderosa pine grows, but can sometimes occur up to 10,000 feet. A tiny bird, even by nuthatch standards (3.5-4.3 in (9-11 cm)), with a relatively large, rounded head, no discernible neck, and a straight, sharp bill. The legs are short, the wings are short and broad, and the tail is short and square. Pygmy Nuthatches have buffy-white underparts set off by a brown crown, bluish-gray back, and sharp, straight bill. Some subspecies show a blackish line through eye.

Fun Facts: Pygmy Nuthatches are tiny bundles of hyperactive energy that climb up and down ponderosa pines to seach under bark and in needle clusters for insects and seeds. They move constantly and give short, squeaky "rubber ducky" calls.

 

Brown Creeper

Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)

The Brown Creeper is a small bird, ranging from 4-5.5 inches long (10-14 cm) and ranges from a brown grey to brown body color that is streaked with white and black. Its distinctive curved, thin beak is perfect for finding bugs that are hiding in the bark of trees. These birds can be found in mature forests among many different elevations and ecosystems. Their diet consists of mostly insects, especially incest eggs. They also feed on spiders and pseudoscorpions.

Fun Facts: These birds often spiral up or down tree trunks and limbs looking for food, with their tail bracing them against the bark so they do not lose their footing.