The Red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) is a small songbird that breeds in North America. These tiny birds eat mainly insects and seeds and their habit of wedging a large food item in a crevice and then hacking at it with their strong bills gives them their English name.
Di
DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
Ca
CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
In
InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
He
HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
Gr
GranivoreSeed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of pla...
Ar
ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
Zo
ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
Sc
ScansorialScansorial animals are those that are adapted to or specialized for climbing. Many animals climb not only in tress but also in other habitats, such...
Te
TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
Ov
OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Co
CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
Al
AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
Mo
MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
Ge
Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
Pa
Partial MigrantPartial migration is when within a migratory species or even within a single population, some individuals migrate while others do not.
R
starts withThe Red-breasted nuthatch is a small passerine, measuring 4.5 in (11 cm) in length, with a wingspan of 8.5 in (22 cm) and a weight of 9.9 g (0.35 oz). Its back and uppertail are bluish, and its underparts rust-colored. It has a black cap and eye line and a white supercilium (eyebrow). Sexes are similarly plumaged, though females and youngsters have duller heads and paler underparts.
Red-breasted nuthatches breed across Canada, Alaska, and the northeastern and western United States. Despite being primarily full-time residents of northern and subalpine conifer forests, these birds regularly migrate irruptively. They sometimes reach northern Mexico, where they are rare winter visitors to Nuevo León, Baja California Norte, and south along the Pacific slope as far as Sinaloa. In the eastern United States, their range is expanding southwards. Red-breasted nuthatches live mainly in coniferous forests but may also visit shrubland, orchards, and plantations.
Red-breasted nuthatches generally spend their time singly or in mated pairs that will aggressively defend their feeding territories. However, they may also join mixed-species flocks in areas where food is plentiful. Red-breasted nuthatches forage by day on the trunks and large branches of trees, often descending head first, sometimes catching insects in flight. They are acrobatic species and can "walk" on the underside of branches. Unlike woodpeckers and creepers, they do not use their tails as a prop while climbing. The call of these small birds is high-pitched, nasal, and weak. Transcribed as yenk or ink, they have been likened to a toy tin horn or a child's noisemaker. Their song is a slowly repeated series of clear, nasal, rising notes, transcribed as ‘eeen eeen eeen’.
Red-breasted nuthatches are carnivores (insectivores) and herbivores (granivores). Their diet changes depending on the season. In the summer, they eat mostly insects, while in the winter, they switch to conifer seeds. At feeders, they will take sunflower seeds, peanut butter, and suet. They often wedge food pieces in bark crevices in order to break them up with the bill (as opposed to holding the food in their feet, like the Black-capped chickadee does).
Red-breasted nuthatches are monogamous and form pairs. The male courts the female with a peculiar display, lifting his head and tail while turning his back to her, drooping his wings, and swaying from side to side. Their breeding season takes place from mid-April through early August. Pairs excavate their own cavity nest, 1.53-37 m (5.0-121.4 ft) above ground (usually around 4.6 m (15 ft)). Excavation is by both parents and takes 1 to 8 weeks. The pair smears sap around the entrance hole, presumably to help deter predators. The nest is lined with grass, moss, shredded bark, and rootlets. The female then lays 2-8 eggs (usually 5-6), which are white, creamy, or pinkish, and covered with reddish-brown speckles. The eggs measure 0.6-0.7 in (1.5-1.8 cm) long by 0.4-0.5 in (1-1.3 cm) wide. Incubation is done by the female and lasts 12-13 days. The chicks hatch altricial (naked and helpless) and stay in the nest for 2-3 weeks, brooded by the female but fed by both parents. Normally there is only one brood per year and young Red-breasted nuthatches become reproductively mature at 1 year of age.
These birds have a large global range and an increasing population and don’t face any major threats at present.
According to the All About Birds resource, the global breeding population of the Red-breasted nuthatch is 20 million individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are increasing.
