Nuthatch is a group of tree-climbing songbirds. They are common throughout the temperate regions of the world, which have warm summers and cool or cold winters. Nuthatches get their name from their habit of wedging nuts into cracks in tree bark and then hatching (opening) them with repeated strokes of the bill. Unlike other climbing birds, nuthatches often creep down tree trunks headfirst.
The best-known North American species is the white-breasted nuthatch. This bird lives the year around in the United States and southern Canada and can be found in woodlands, orchards, and yards. It measures about 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15 centimeters) in length. The top of its head and upper neck are black, its back is dark gray, and its underparts are white.
White-breasted nuthatches eat nuts and grain, as well as insects and insect larvae (young) that they find underneath the bark of trees. In winter, these birds are easily attracted to feeding stations, where they eat sunflower seeds and suet (animal fat). The white-breasted nuthatch builds its nest in holes in trees or stumps. The female lays from 5 to 10 white eggs that are speckled with reddish-brown or lavender markings.
Other North American nuthatches are the red-breasted nuthatch, which lives in southern Canada and in the northern and western parts of the United States; the brown-headed nuthatch, found in the Southern States; and the pygmy nuthatch, found in western North America and in Mexico. These species are smaller than the white-breasted nuthatch.
