Article and Photos by Lisa Payette
The Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches are sweet birds. They are found year-round in coniferous and mixed hardwood forests.
Their calls were one of my first recognizable sounds. They are tree dwellers, feeding around branches and nesting in small tree holes.
They feed on spiders and also probe for insects and their larvae in the cracks of tree bark. They also eat seeds and nuts, which they may wedge into a crevice and break open with their bill.
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is aggressive and inquisitive. It has a distinctive black eyestripe. It inhabits in mountains in the West, and the lowlands and hills in the East. I found them more common in Alberta. Since living in Ontario, I have only seen a handful.
White - breasted nuthatch
Red - breasted nuthatch
