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Fun Facts About Nuthatches

• The name Nuthatch probably results from the corruption of the word “nuthack” which refers to its habit of hacking away at a seed with its beak until it opens.
• White-breasted Nuthatches will often store seeds for retrieval later in the same day or as a quick source of food for the next morning.
  The White-breasted Nuthatch is a common bird of deciduous forests and wooded urban areas. Known as the “upside down” bird, it is often observed creeping headfirst down tree trunks while searching cracks and crevices for insect food.
• A nuthatch’s foot has one big toe (the hallux) that faces backward, while its other three toes face forward. They are able to walk head first down the trunks of trees by moving only one foot at a time while the hallux toe on the other foot holds firmly to the bark.
• Nuthatches are monogamous and defend a territory throughout the year. The female White-breasted Nuthatch rarely strays far from her mate and stays in constant vocal contact when they are more than a few yards apart.
• Male White-breasted Nuthatches are less wary of danger when foraging with their mates than when they are alone. The female mate plays the dominate role as “watchdog” when they are together, leaving the male more time to concentrate on hunting for food.
• The White-breasted Nuthatch is a common visitor to bird feeders. They typically take a single sunflower seed and fly to a nearby tree, then wedge it into the bark and hack it open with repeated blows from their bill.
• During the winter, White-breasted Nuthatches will often forage together with other birds such as titmice, chickadees, and Downey Woodpeckers in a group known as a foraging guild. Nuthatches are able to recognize the alarm calls of these species and can thus reduce their own level of alertness by relying on vigilance of these other species. This leaves then with more time to concentrate on finding food.
• White-breasted Nuthatches are bolder and braver when they forage together with chickadees and titmice than when they are foraging alone. A study determined that they are much more reluctant to come to exposed feeders when they were alone than when they are accompanied by titmice. The nuthatch apparently feels more secure when a vigilant titmouse is along to serve as a watchdog and scout.
• The Red-breasted Nuthatch will line the entrance to its nesting cavity with drops of sticky conifer resin. It is thought that this may be a tactic to discourage predators or nest competitors from entering the cavity. The nuthatches avoid the resin themselves by diving directly into the nesting cavity without ever touching the sides of the entry hole.
• The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a very aggressive defender of its nesting cavity, especially during the building period. It chases away much larger birds such as the Downy Woodpecker and it has even been observed to bully the very aggressive House Wren.

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