Tree Clinging

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta canadensis
Red-breasted Nuthatch thumbnail
Length: 5 in. (11 cm )
Distinctive in its ability to walk down tree trunks head first, the small Red-breasted Nuthatch is readily identified. It occurs in mature coniferous forest and high altitude aspens where it feeds on insects from the bark and, during the winter, on pine cone seeds. Its nest is in a cavity dug out of a rotting branch or stump.

The four-digit banding code is RBNU.

Male | Herbert Clarke

Female | Oliver Niehuis



Fir forest

Oak-pine woodland
Download Sound
Bird Sound Type: Buzzing
Sex of Bird: Male
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Bibliographic details:

  • Article: Red-breasted Nuthatch
  • Author(s): Dr. Biology
  • Publisher: Arizona State University School of Life Sciences Ask A Biologist
  • Site name: ASU - Ask A Biologist
  • Date published: July 13, 2017
  • Date accessed: January 12, 2025
  • Link: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/red-breasted-nuthatch

APA Style

Dr. Biology. (2017, July 13). Red-breasted Nuthatch. ASU - Ask A Biologist. Retrieved January 12, 2025 from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/red-breasted-nuthatch

American Psychological Association. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

Chicago Manual of Style

Dr. Biology. "Red-breasted Nuthatch". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 July, 2017. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/red-breasted-nuthatch

For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/04/

MLA 2017 Style

Dr. Biology. "Red-breasted Nuthatch". ASU - Ask A Biologist. 13 Jul 2017. ASU - Ask A Biologist, Web. 12 Jan 2025. https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/bird/red-breasted-nuthatch

Modern Language Association, 7th Ed. For more info, see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/
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