White-breasted Nuthatch

Here's a White-breasted Nuthatch I met last summer. It and a few companions were in oak trees near the Duke Farms Haybarn. They are one of the few birds that will traverse down a tree headfirst. Their Red-breasted Nuthatch cousins will also do this, but their Brown Creeper cousins tend to face upwards when climbing trees. While their Red-breasted Nuthatch cousins are one of the few non-woodpeckers that'll peck a hole into a tree to create a nest, the White-breasted Nuthatch isn't as hardcore and will only expand a tree cavity that already exists.

The name "nuthatch" comes from the birds wedging acorns and softer nuts into a tree, and then using their beaks to break (or "hatch") the nut. 

September 2, 2022 at Duke Farms
Photo 238962465, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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