View source for Red-breasted nuthatch

{{short description|Species of bird}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=November 2025}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Red-breasted nuthatch
| image = Sitta canadensis CT2.jpg
| image_caption = Female in [[Quebec]], Canada
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |year=2018 |title=''Sitta canadensis'' |article-number=e.T22711196A132094796 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22711196A132094796.en}}</ref>
| genus = Sitta
| species = canadensis
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1766
| range_map = Sitta canadensis map.svg
| range_map_caption = Approximate distribution map
{{leftlegend|#7137C8|Year-round}}
{{leftlegend|#5f9ed3|Nonbreeding}}
}}

The '''red-breasted nuthatch''' ('''''Sitta canadensis''''') is a small [[songbird]]. The adult has blue-grey [[upperparts]] with cinnamon underparts, a white throat and face with a black stripe through the eyes, a straight grey bill and a black crown. Its call, which has been likened to a tin trumpet, is high-pitched and nasal. It breeds in [[conifer]]ous forests across Canada, Alaska and the northeastern and western United States. Though often a permanent resident, it regularly [[bird migration#Irruptions and dispersal|irrupts further south]] if its food supply fails. There are records of vagrants occurring as far south as the Gulf Coast and northern Mexico. It forages on the trunks and large branches of trees, often descending head first, sometimes catching insects in flight. It eats mainly insects and seeds, especially from conifers. It excavates its nest in dead wood, often close to the ground, smearing the entrance with pitch.

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==Taxonomy==
In 1760, the French zoologist [[Mathurin Jacques Brisson]] included a description of the red-breasted nuthatch in his ''Ornithologie'' based on a specimen collected in Canada. He used the French name ''Le torchepot de Canada'' and the Latin ''Sitta Canadensis''.<ref name=brisson>{{ cite book | last=Brisson | first=Mathurin Jacques | author-link=Mathurin Jacques Brisson | year=1760 | title=Ornithologie, ou, Méthode contenant la division des oiseaux en ordres, sections, genres, especes & leurs variétés | volume=3 | language=fr, la | place=Paris | publisher=Jean-Baptiste Bauche | pages=592–594, Plate 29 fig 4 | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/35953691 }} The two stars (**) at the start of the section indicates that Brisson based his description on the examination of a specimen.</ref> Although Brisson coined Latin names for the species, these usually do not conform to the [[binomial nomenclature|binomial system]] and none of them are recognised by the [[International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature]].<ref name=allen>{{cite journal |last=Allen | first=J.A. | author-link=Joel Asaph Allen | year=1910 | title=Collation of Brisson's genera of birds with those of Linnaeus |journal=Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History |volume=28 | pages=317–335 | hdl=2246/678}}</ref> In 1766, when the Swedish naturalist [[Carl Linnaeus]] updated his ''[[Systema Naturae]]'' for the [[12th edition of Systema Naturae|twelfth edition]], he added 240 species that had been previously described by Brisson.<ref name=allen/> One of these was the red-breasted nuthatch. Linnaeus included a brief description and used Brisson's name, ''Sitta canadensis,'' as his [[binomial name]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | year=1766 | title=Systema naturae: per regna tria natura, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | edition=12th | volume=1, Part 1 | publisher=Laurentii Salvii  | place=Holmiae (Stockholm) | language=la | page=177 | url=https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/42946373 }}</ref>

Like all nuthatches, the red-breasted nuthatch is assigned to the genus ''Sitta'' ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]),<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=C | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata | publisher=Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii) | year=1758| quote = ''Rostrum'' subcultrato-conicum, rectum, porrectum: integerrimum, mandíbula superiore obtusiuscula. ''Lingua'' lacero-emarginata |page= 115|language=la}}</ref> a name derived from ''sittē'' ({{lang|grc|σίττη}}), the [[Ancient Greek]] word for the [[Eurasian nuthatch]]. The [[specific name (zoology)|specific epithet]] ''canadensis'' is [[Neo-Latin]] for "belonging to Canada".<ref name=Holloway>{{cite book |title=Dictionary of birds of the United States: Scientific and Common Names |first=Joel Ellis |last=Holloway |year=2003 |publisher=Timber Press |location=Portland, OR |isbn=0-88192-600-0 |page=185}}</ref>  "Nuthatch" is a [[linguistic corruption]] of "nuthack", referring to the bird's habit of wedging nuts into cracks in tree bark and hacking at them until they break open.<ref>{{cite web| title= Nuthatch | work= Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary | url= http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nuthatch | publisher= Merriam-Webster Online | access-date=10 May 2011}}</ref> "Red-breasted" is a reference to the rusty colour of the male's underparts.<ref name=Holloway/>
[[Image:Sitta canadensis 5563.JPG|thumb|The nuthatch's habit of wedging seeds into cracks and hammering them open has given rise to its common name.]]

In the past, the red-breasted nuthatch and four other species — the [[Corsican nuthatch]], the [[Chinese nuthatch]], the [[Algerian nuthatch]] and the [[Krüper's nuthatch]] — were thought to be a single species.<ref>Elphick, Dunning and Sibley 2001, p. 435</ref> These five make up a well-defined [[species group]] known as the "''Sitta canadensis'' group", and are sometimes considered to be a [[superspecies]].<ref name=HBW136/> Within the species group, [[DNA]] studies have shown that the red-breasted nuthatch, the Corsican nuthatch and the [[Chinese nuthatch]] make up one [[clade]] and the [[Algerian nuthatch]] and [[Krüper's nuthatch]] make up a [[sister clade]].<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Ibis |title=Phylogeny of the nuthatches of the ''Sitta canadensis'' group and its evolutionary and biogeographic implications |first=Eric |last=Pasquet |volume=140 |number=1 |pages=150–156 |date=January 1998 |type=Abstract |doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.1998.tb04553.x}}</ref> The red-breasted nuthatch is monotypic across its extensive range.<ref name=HBW136>Harrap 2008, p. 136</ref>

==Description==
The red-breasted nuthatch is a small [[passerine]], measuring {{convert|4.5|in|cm|abbr=on}} in length,{{#tag:ref|By convention, length is measured from the tip of the bill to the tip of the tail on a dead bird (or skin) laid on its back.<ref>{{cite book |title=Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa: [[Birds of the Western Palearctic]], Volume 1, Ostrich to Ducks |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1977 |isbn=0-19-857358-8 |editor=Cramp, Stanley |page=3}}</ref>|group="nb"}}<ref name="NatGeo"/> with a wingspan of {{convert|8.5|in|cm|abbr=on}} and a weight of {{convert|9.9|g|oz|abbr=on}}.<ref name="SibGuide">{{cite book |title=The North American Bird Guide |first=David |last=Sibley |page=380 |publisher=Pica Press |location=Mountfield, UK |year=2000 |isbn=1-873403-98-4}}</ref> Its back and uppertail are bluish, and its underparts are rust-coloured. It has a black cap and eye line and a white [[supercilium]] (eyebrow). Sexes are similarly plumaged, though females and youngsters have duller heads and paler underparts.<ref name="NatGeo"/>

==Voice==
The red-breasted nuthatch's call is high-pitched, nasal and weak. Transcribed as ''yenk'' or ''ink'',<ref name="SibGuide"/> they have been likened to a toy tin horn<ref name="NatGeo"/> or a child's noisemaker.<ref>{{cite book |title=Birds of Southeastern Arizona |first=Richard Cachor |last=Taylor |year=2010 |location=Olympia, WA |publisher=R. W. Morse Company |isbn=978-0-9640810-7-9 |page=275}}</ref> Its song is a slowly repeated series of clear, nasal, rising notes, transcribed as {{not a typo|''eeen eeen eeen''}}.<ref name="SibGuide"/>

==Habitat and range==
Though it is primarily a full-time resident of northern and subalpine [[conifer]] forests, the red-breasted nuthatch regularly migrates irruptively, with both the number migrating and the wintering locations varying from year to year.<ref name="NatGeo"/> They sometimes reach northern Mexico, where they are rare winter visitors to [[Nuevo León]], [[Baja California Norte]] and south along the Pacific slope as far as [[Sinaloa]].<ref name=Howell/> In the eastern United States, its range is expanding southwards.<ref name="NatGeo">{{cite book |title=National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America |editor1-first=Jon L. |editor1-last=Dunn |editor2-first=Jonathan |editor2-last=Alderfer |isbn=0-7922-5314-0 |page=341 |publisher=National Geographic |location=Washington DC |year=2006 |edition=5th}}</ref> Though formerly resident on [[Isla Guadalupe]], an island off the western coast of Mexico, it appears to have been extirpated there, with the last known record of the species on the island dating from 1971. There is a single vagrant record for Mexico's [[Isla Socorro]].<ref name=Howell>{{cite book |title=A Field Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America |first1=Steve N. G |last1=Howell |first2=Sophie |last2=Webb |year=1995 |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/guidetobirdsofme0000howe/page/553 553] |isbn=978-0-19-854012-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/guidetobirdsofme0000howe/page/553 }}</ref> It is an extremely rare [[vagrancy (biology)|vagrant]] to Europe, with two records in the western [[Palearctic]]; one bird successfully overwintered in eastern England.<ref>{{cite book |title=Birds New to Norfolk |first1=Keith |last1=Dye |first2=Mick |last2=Fiszer |first3=Peter |last3=Allard |publisher=Wren Publishing |year=2009 |location=Sheringham, UK |pages=340–342 |isbn=978-0-9542545-3-7}}</ref>

==Feeding behaviour and diet==
Like all nuthatches, the red-breasted nuthatch is an acrobatic species, hitching itself up and down tree trunks and branches to look for food.<ref name="NatGeo"/> It goes headfirst when climbing down. It can "walk" on the underside of branches. Unlike [[woodpecker]]s and [[Certhiidae|creeper]]s, it does not use its tail as a prop while climbing.<ref name="Sib437"/> It tends to forage singly or in pairs.<ref name=Howell/>

The red-breasted nuthatch's diet changes depending on the season. In the summer, it eats mostly insects, occasionally even [[Hawking (birds)#Flycatching|flycatching]], while in the winter, it switches to conifer seeds.<ref name=Harrap>{{cite book |title=Tits, Nuthatches & Treecreepers |first1=Simon |last1=Harrap |first2=David |last2=Quinn |pages=144–148 |publisher=Christopher Helm |location=London |year=1996}}</ref> At feeders, it will take sunflower seeds, peanut butter, and suet. It often wedges food pieces in bark crevices in order to break them up with the bill (as opposed to holding the food in their feet, like the [[black-capped chickadee]] does).

==Breeding==
The red-breasted nuthatch, like all nuthatches, is monogamous. The male courts the female with a peculiar display, lifting his head and tail while turning his back to her, drooping his wings, and swaying from side to side.

This bird excavates its own [[bird nest#Cavity|cavity nest]], {{convert|1.53|-|37|m|ft|abbr=on}} above ground (usually around {{convert|4.6|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Excavation is done by both sexes and takes one to eight weeks.<ref name="Sib436">Reed 2001, p. 436</ref> The pair smears sap around the entrance hole, presumably to help deter predators.<ref name="Sib437">Reed 2001, p. 437</ref> The nest is lined with grass, moss, shredded bark and rootlets. Nest building is done by both sexes, but mostly by females.

The female lays 2–8 [[egg]]s (usually 5–6), which are white, creamy or pinkish, and covered with reddish-brown speckles. The eggs measure {{convert|0.6|–|0.7|in|cm|abbr=on}} long by {{convert|0.4|–|0.5|in|cm|abbr=on}} wide. Incubation is done by the female and lasts 12–13&nbsp;days.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Nuthatch/lifehistory |title=All About Birds: Red-breasted Nuthatch, Life History |access-date=26 May 2011 |publisher=Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology}}</ref> The young are [[altricial]] and stay in the nest for 2–3 weeks, brooded by the female but fed by both sexes. Normally, there is only one brood per year. Lifespan is around 6 years.

==Conservation status and threats==
Because of its large global range and its increasing population, the red-breasted nuthatch is rated as a species of [[Least Concern]] by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]].<ref name=IUCN/> In the [[Americas]], it is protected by the [[Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/RegulationsPolicies/mbta/taxolst.html |title=Birds Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act |publisher=[[US Fish and Wildlife Service]] |access-date=16 September 2011}}</ref>

==Notes==
<references group="nb" />
==References==<!-- WilsonBull18:47 (compare to current Ohio checklist http://www.ohiobirds.org/publications/OBRClist.pdf) -->
{{Reflist}}

===Cited texts===
*{{cite book |first=J. Michael |last=Reed |contribution=Nuthatches |title=The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behaviour |editor1-first=Chris |editor1-last=Elphick |editor2-first=John B. |editor2-last=Dunning Jr. |editor3-first=David |editor3-last=Sibley |publisher=Christopher Helm |location=London |year=2001 |isbn=0-7136-6250-6}}
*{{cite book |first=Simon |last=Harrap |editor1-first=Josep |editor1-last=del Hoyo |editor2-first=Andrew |editor2-last=Elliott |editor3-first=David |editor3-last=Christie |title=Handbook of Birds of the World, Volume 13: Penduline-tits to Shrikes |contribution=Family Sittidae (Nuthatches) |year=2008 |publisher=Lynx Edicions |location=Barcelona |isbn=978-84-96553-45-3}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20170111112226/https://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i7280id.html Red-Breasted Nuthatch - ''Sitta canadensis''] - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
* {{InternetBirdCollection|red-breasted-nuthatch-sitta-canadensis|Red-breasted Nuthatch}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130424214925/http://www.hww.ca/en/species/birds/red-breasted-nuthatch.html Red-breasted Nuthatch], Hinterland Who's Who
* {{VIREO|Red-breasted+Nuthatch|Red-breasted Nuthatch}}
* {{IUCN_Map|22711196/132094796|Sitta canadensis}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q597684}}

[[Category:Nuthatches|red-breasted nuthatch]]
[[Category:Birds of Canada]]
[[Category:Birds of North America]]
[[Category:Birds of Appalachia (United States)]]
[[Category:Native birds of the Northeastern United States]]
[[Category:Native birds of the Western United States]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1766|red-breasted nuthatch]]
[[Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus|red-breasted nuthatch]]
[[Category:Least concern biota of the United States]]