Bird guide · Sitta carolinensis
White-breasted Nuthatch
What the white-breasted nuthatch eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Year-round resident
- Size
- 5.5 in (14 cm)
- Eats
- sunflower seeds, suet
- Feeds
- tube, hopper, suet cage
- Most common
- New Hampshire, Vermont, Minnesota
Food
What do white-breasted nuthatches eat?
At feeders, white-breasted nuthatches take sunflower seeds, suet.
Readily visits feeders and carries seeds away to hide in crevices.
Feeder that suits it
A tube or hopper feeder with sunflower seed or sunflower hearts.
Range
Where do white-breasted nuthatches live?
Deciduous woods over much of North America. By share of all bird sightings, white-breasted nuthatches are most common in New Hampshire (2.5%).
States where white-breasted nuthatches are most common
- New Hampshire2.5%
- Vermont2.5%
- Minnesota2.4%
- Indiana2.3%
- Wisconsin2.2%
- Iowa2.2%
- Michigan2.1%
- West Virginia2.1%
- Connecticut2.1%
- Pennsylvania2.1%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are white-breasted nuthatches, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the white-breasted nuthatch migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in December.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are white-breasted nuthatches, by month.
Identification
How to identify the white-breasted nuthatch
Male: White face and chest, blue-grey back and narrow black crown stripe.
Female: Crown stripe often grey.
Size: 5.5 in (14 cm)
On camera
Getting the white-breasted nuthatch on a feeder camera
Any seed camera feeder works. Hang it near shrubs for cover, about five feet off the ground, with the lens facing away from direct sun.
Questions
White-breasted Nuthatch: questions
What do white-breasted nuthatches eat?
At feeders, sunflower seeds, suet.
Do white-breasted nuthatches migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in December.
Where do white-breasted nuthatches live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in New Hampshire, Vermont, Minnesota, Indiana, Wisconsin. They are rare or absent in Alaska, Hawaii.
What does a female white-breasted nuthatch look like?
Crown stripe often grey.