Species guide
White-breasted Nuthatch: how to recognise it
A bird of North America. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Mark McKnight · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Sitta carolinensis
- Family
- Nuthatches
- Size
- About 13–15 cm
- Habitat
- Mature deciduous woodland and feeders
- Found in
- North America
The key marks
A blue-grey back, a black cap and a white face and underparts. It moves head-first down tree trunks.
Voice
A nasal, repeated “yank-yank”.
Good to know
It stores seeds in bark crevices and walks head-first down tree trunks.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in mature deciduous woodland and feeders. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.