White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis
Also called nuthatch.
The bird that walks down tree trunks head-first. Nothing else does it, and it is the whole identification — woodpeckers and creepers only go up.
- Size
- Sparrow-sized — 13–14 cm
- Bill
- Thin and pointed
- Where
- feeder, woodland, yard
- Season
- year round
What it looks like
Blue-grey above, white face and underparts, a black cap running down the nape, and a long straight bill slightly upturned at the tip. Almost no visible neck or tail.
The checks that confirm it
- Moves head-downward on trunks and branches. Diagnostic on its own.
- A long straight bill on a body with no apparent neck.
- Black cap over a white face; the whole face is white, without a stripe through the eye.
- Very short tail, so it looks like a wedge.
Voice
A nasal, repeated 'yank-yank-yank', like a tiny toy horn.
Attracting it
Sunflower seed, peanuts and suet. It wedges seeds into bark crevices and hammers them open, which is what 'nuthatch' means.
Confused with
Smaller, with a black line through the eye and rusty underparts. Prefers conifers.
Streaked brown, a fine down-curved bill, and it spirals upward — never downward.
Questions about this bird
How do you identify a white-breasted nuthatch?
Moves head-downward on trunks and branches. Diagnostic on its own. A long straight bill on a body with no apparent neck.
What does a white-breasted nuthatch sound like?
A nasal, repeated 'yank-yank-yank', like a tiny toy horn.
How do you attract a white-breasted nuthatch?
Sunflower seed, peanuts and suet. It wedges seeds into bark crevices and hammers them open, which is what 'nuthatch' means.