Nuthatches

Pygmy Nuthatch (Left) and White-Breasted Nuthatch (Right)

NPS Photo/S. King (Left); NPS Photo/MDF (Right)

 

Nuthatches constitute a genus, Sitta, of small passerine birds belonging to the family Sittidae. They are characterized by large heads, powerful bills and short tails and are active, agile little birds. They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside. Keep reading for more information on the three most commonly found Nuthatches in Bryce Canyon: White-breasted, Red-breasted, and Pygmy.

 

White-breasted nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

Weight: 0.6-1.1 oz (18-30 g)
Length: 5.1-5.5 in (13-14 cm)
Wingspan: 7.9-10.6 in (20-27 cm)

Habitat

Shaded deciduous and mixed conifer forests.

Diet

Mostly consumes insects in the summer and seeds in the winter.

Identification

The White-breasted Nuthatch is the largest of all nuthatches, but it is still a small bird. 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.

Listen carefully for their ik & ik-up calls interspersed with the tapping sounds as they peck into the bark in search of insects.

Behavior

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. Their tails are not used as a kickstand as seen with woodpeckers.

White-breasted Nuthatch pairs remain on nesting territory all year, or may even mate for life. Nest sites are usually large natural cavities or holes carved out by woodpeckers. Sometimes they will create their own cavity within a tree. Females build the nest within the cavity with bark fibers, twigs, grass, or hair.

Conservation

Widespread and common, with population numbers either stable or increasing.

When and Where to See at Bryce

Commonly seen in shaded forests. Typically associated with deciduous forests, but can also been seen in the mixed conifer forests in Bryce.

Further Reading

White-breasted Nuthatch | Audubon Field Guide

White-breasted Nuthatch Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

 

Red-Breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)

Length: 4.3 in (11 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.5 oz (8-13 g)
Wingspan: 7.1-7.9 in (18-20 cm)

Habitat

Red-breasted Nuthatches live mainly in coniferous forests of spruce, fir, pine, hemlock, larch, and western red cedar.

Diet

In summer, Red-breasted Nuthatches 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.

Identification

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.

Behavior

Tiny, active birds of north woods and western mountains. These long-billed, short-tailed songbirds live in tree canopies but stick to tree trunks and branches. 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.

Conservation

Widespread and common, with population numbers stable.

When and Where to See at Bryce

Commonly seen in mature ponderosa pine forests.

Further Reading

Red-Breasted Nuthatch | Audubon Field Guide

Red-Breasted Nuthatch Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

 

Pygmy Nuthatch (Sitta pygmaea)

Length: 3.5-4.3 in (9-11 cm)
Weight: 0.3-0.4 oz (9-11 g)

Habitat

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.

Diet

Pygmy Nuthatches eat insects (and other invertebrates) and seeds. During the breeding season they eat mostly arthropods, including beetles, wasps, bugs and spiders, but tend to switch to seeds in winter.

Identification

A tiny bird, even by nuthatch standards, 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.

Behavior

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.

Conservation

Widespread and common, with population numbers stable.

When and Where to See at Bryce

Commonly seen in mature ponderosa pine forests.

Further Reading

Pygmy Nuthatch | Audubon Field Guide

Pygmy Nuthatch Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology