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Red-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta canadensis
Interesting and Fun Facts: The Red-breasted Nuthatch collects globs of resin from conifers and plasters them around the entrance of its nest hole. The male puts the resin around the outside of the hole while the female puts it around the inside. Sometimes using a tool, a piece of bark to spread the resin. To provide an insect collecting trap and window blind to keep out predators. They are also theives stealing nest lining materials from other bird's nests.
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Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sittidae
Genus: Sitta |
Audio for Species
Call
Song
from Macaulay Library |
Species Related Links
Additional Red-breasted Nuthatch Pictures
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Description
Length: 4.3 in (11 cm) Weight: 0.3-0.5 oz (8-13 g) Wingspan: 7.1-7.9 in (18-20 cm)
A compact bird with a barrel-chested body and short tail. It has a comparatively long and pointed beak. The back and wings are blue-gray turning to blue-black on the wings. the head is crowned in black, with a black mask from beak to neck (there is almost no neck at all) which is edged by white. The under parts are a light burnt sienna.
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Habitat, Range, and Feeding
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a common resident of the coniferous forests of North America.
For nesting they excavate cavities in trees and this can take up to 18 days for a hole 2.5 to 8 inches deep. They will line the cavity with a bed of grass, bark and pine needles; topped with feathers, fur, very fine grasses or finely shredded bark.
They mainly eat insects, but can be found around feeders eating sunflowers seeds and suet.
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Bird Page Created By: Don Wallace. Photography: © 2011 Don Wallace
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Railroad Bridge Park, 2151 West Hendrickson
Road, PO Box 2450, Sequim, WA 98382
360-681-4076 - rivercenter@olympus.net |
| Web Development Don Wallace |
