White-breasted Nuthatch

Bouncy and quick, nuthatches scamper down and up tree trunks, pecking insects with sturdy, pointed bills.

You might hear one yammer loudly, or see a bird with grayish-blue back and a black eye stripe visit your feeders.

Want to attract them?

Where You Find Nuthatches

You'll find nuthatches in most of the U.S. and Canada, in or near woodlands or wooded suburbia.

Look for nuthatches on tree trunks or bird feeders.

How Do You Attract Nuthatches?

Food is the best way to encourage nuthatches: sunflower seed, peanuts, peanut butter, or suet.

Upside-Down Suet Feeder

Most feeders will attract nuthatches; they'll even feed at upside-down feeders.

You can also try providing nuthatches with birdhouses of rough cedar, but nuthatches prefer natural cavities in trees.

Nuthatches rarely visit birdbaths.

What is a Nuthatch?

Description

Wikipedia describes nuthatches as "compact birds with short legs, compressed wings... blue-gray backs... and white underparts".

Depending on the species of nuthatch, the belly can be orange, rust brown, or tan. Almost all nuthatches have a long black eye stripe over white, and a black cap is common.

White-breasted Nuthatch

The two most common nuthatch species are below, but keep an eye out for the Pygmy Nuthatch in western forests or the Brown-headed Nuthatch in the pine forests of the southeast.

White-breasted Nuthatch

This nuthatch is the largest North American nuthatch, with grayish black cap much like a hoodie, chestnut flanks and undertail, breast white, bluish gray back and wings.

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

The only North American nuthatch to migrate, the Red-breasted Nuthatch can be found in some parts of the U.S. only in winter. It has's blue-gray with black cap and eye stripe, and a rust brown breast.