White-breasted Nuthatch by ShadowsNTime

Photography • Animals • posted on Aug 20, 2008

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Description

Awhile back I posted an image that I believed to be a baby blue jay, it was only when I got this closeup that I realized it wasn't. This guy hangs out with my little chickadee and is just as friendly, another I hope will be eating out of my hand. This is an adult bird! The nuthatches are a genus, Sitta, of small passerine birds belonging to the family Sittidae. Characterized by large heads, short tails, and powerful bills and feet, nuthatches advertise their territory using loud, simple songs. Most species exhibit grey or bluish upperparts and a black eye stripe. Nuthatches are omnivorous, eating mostly insects, nuts and seeds. They forage for insects hidden in or under bark by climbing along tree trunks and branches, sometimes upside down. They forage within their territories when breeding, but may join mixed feeding flocks at other times. Their habit of wedging a large food item in a crevice and then hacking at it with their strong bills gives this group its English name. Nuthatches are very vocal, using an assortment of whistles, trills and calls. Their breeding songs tend to be simple and often identical to their contact calls but longer in duration.[13] The Red-breasted Nuthatch, which coexists with the Black-capped Chickadee throughout much of its range, is able to understand the latter species' calls. The chickadee has subtle call variations that communicate information about the size and risk of potential predators. Many birds recognize the simple alarm calls produced by other species, but the Red-breasted Nuthatch is able to interpret the chickadees' detailed variations and to respond appropriately. Thanks for looking and for previous comments!