Uploaded November 2021 | Updated September 2026, 54 minutes ago
For those familiar with me and my journey the last ten years, you know that this charming little bird is one out of several other species that I’ve come to know very well, establishing close relationships of many years with several individuals. Such as Hatch, a male Red-breasted nuthatch I knew from Winter 2014 to the middle of June 2020. The longest I have known one of these birds.
Belonging to the Genus Sitta which include 17 species of true nuthatches of North
America and Eurasia, the Red-breasted nuthatch comprise the common nuthatch family or Sittidae. They are estimated by Partners in Flight at 20 million, and between 1966 and 2014, their numbers increased throughout their range, as reported by the North American Breeding Bird Survey.
Much of their range is in the Boreal as well as Northernmost forest regions which stretch from Alaska to Newfoundland and Labrador, south through the Appalachians to eastern Tennesee and North Carolina. A great deal of the Western coniferous forests sees them as well, where they occur as far south as California and Arizona. In the areas I’ve listed, they are permanent residents, seen year-round, however in some years particularly when cone crops fail, many individuals move southward for the winter in search of food, a cycle that occurs every 2 to 3 years depending. During this time they can show up in large numbers visiting feeders, delighting those who don’t typically get to see them. Years like that which one in 2020, are known as irruption years.
If you enjoyed this video please help support the channel by SHARING it with other fellow birders. It’s a free way to help me TREMENDOUSLY! I GREATLY appreciate your support and I hope you enjoy the show!
Song during the intro and @ 3:57- 5:18 - Mr. Sunny Face via YouTube Audio Library
Timestamps:
00:00 Start
00:12 Intro
00:45 Population numbers
01:10 Range, Location, when to see them
03:01 Appearance, similar species
03:47 How to tell males and females apart
03:58 Unique climbing abilities
05:16 Food they eat and foraging behavior
06:55 Where their name came from
07:15 Breeding, Nesting, Brood, Incubation, fledging
10:12 Calls and Sounds, (Yank calls, alarm calls, female sounds)
12:38 Pair bond behavior
13:10 Molt
13:28 Wing-spread display behavior
14:00 Oldest Red-breasted nuthatch
14:16 A little about Hatch, my first nuthatch friend
14:36 Ending
Photos and videos from free use websites:
TThe individuals' names can be found on their respective photo/video and /or found below (license at the end)
Range Map from Cornell Lab of Ornithology - allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Nuthatch/maps-range
Nest site Call
Martin St-Michel, XC319180. Accessible at xeno-canto.org/319180.
Yank call from a male
Christopher McPherson, XC599843. Accessible at xeno-canto.org/599843.
White-Breasted Nuthatch by JackBulmer from Pixabay
4-panel Photo @ 3:20
White-breasted nuthatch - JackBulmer from Pixabay
Pygmy Nuthatch - Kahj19 from Canva
Brown-headed Nuthatch - ANCHASA MITCHELL from Canva
Red-breasted Nuthatch - LesleytheBirdNerd
Canva.com
canva.com/policies/free-media
Pexels.com
pexels.com/license
Pixabay.com
pixabay.com/service/terms/#license
Pixnio.com
pixnio.com/creative-commons-license
Other ways to Support LesleytheBirdNerd
-----------------------------
Merchandise from Spring.com
teespring.com/stores/lesleythebirdnerd
Merchandise from Bonfire.com bonfire.com/store/lesleythebirdnerd
Donate via Paypal
paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=E5GM54J7C28LC
Also, find LesleytheBirdNerd here:
------------------------------------
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facebook.com/LesleytheBirdNerd
Instagram
instagram.com/lesleythebirdnerd
Reddit
reddit.com/r/LesleytheBirdNerd
============================================
If you have a sick or injured bird in your possession I can not help this bird in any way it is strongly advised to contact a local vet or wildlife official before any decisions are made. It is very easy to do more harm than good when handling any wildlife.
============================================
For business inquiries or Post Office Box information
please contact Jamie at lesleythebirdnerd@gmail.com
==============================================
#LesleytheBirdNerd #Redbreastednuthatch
For those familiar with me and my journey the last ten years, you know that this charming little bird is one out of several other species that I’ve come to know very well, establishing close relationships of many years with several individuals. Such as Hatch, a male Red-breasted nuthatch I knew from Winter 2014 to the middle of June 2020. The longest I have known one of these birds.
Belonging to the Genus Sitta which include 17 species of true nuthatches of North
America and Eurasia, the Red-breasted nuthatch comprise the common nuthatch family or Sittidae. They are estimated by Partners in Flight at 20 million, and between 1966 and 2014, their numbers increased throughout their range, as reported by the North American Breeding Bird Survey.
Much of their range is in the Boreal as well as Northernmost forest regions which stretch from Alaska to Newfoundland and Labrador, south through the Appalachians to eastern Tennesee and North Carolina. A great deal of the Western coniferous forests sees them as well, where they occur as far south as California and Arizona. In the areas I’ve listed, they are permanent residents, seen year-round, however in some years particularly when cone crops fail, many individuals move southward for the winter in search of food, a cycle that occurs every 2 to 3 years depending. During this time they can show up in large numbers visiting feeders, delighting those who don’t typically get to see them. Years like that which one in 2020, are known as irruption years.
If you enjoyed this video please help support the channel by SHARING it with other fellow birders. It’s a free way to help me TREMENDOUSLY! I GREATLY appreciate your support and I hope you enjoy the show!
Song during the intro and @ 3:57- 5:18 - Mr. Sunny Face via YouTube Audio Library
Timestamps:
00:00 Start
00:12 Intro
00:45 Population numbers
01:10 Range, Location, when to see them
03:01 Appearance, similar species
03:47 How to tell males and females apart
03:58 Unique climbing abilities
05:16 Food they eat and foraging behavior
06:55 Where their name came from
07:15 Breeding, Nesting, Brood, Incubation, fledging
10:12 Calls and Sounds, (Yank calls, alarm calls, female sounds)
12:38 Pair bond behavior
13:10 Molt
13:28 Wing-spread display behavior
14:00 Oldest Red-breasted nuthatch
14:16 A little about Hatch, my first nuthatch friend
14:36 Ending
Photos and videos from free use websites:
TThe individuals' names can be found on their respective photo/video and /or found below (license at the end)
Range Map from Cornell Lab of Ornithology - allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-breasted_Nuthatch/maps-range
Nest site Call
Martin St-Michel, XC319180. Accessible at xeno-canto.org/319180.
Yank call from a male
Christopher McPherson, XC599843. Accessible at xeno-canto.org/599843.
White-Breasted Nuthatch by JackBulmer from Pixabay
4-panel Photo @ 3:20
White-breasted nuthatch - JackBulmer from Pixabay
Pygmy Nuthatch - Kahj19 from Canva
Brown-headed Nuthatch - ANCHASA MITCHELL from Canva
Red-breasted Nuthatch - LesleytheBirdNerd
Canva.com
canva.com/policies/free-media
Pexels.com
pexels.com/license
Pixabay.com
pixabay.com/service/terms/#license
Pixnio.com
pixnio.com/creative-commons-license
Other ways to Support LesleytheBirdNerd
-----------------------------
Merchandise from Spring.com
teespring.com/stores/lesleythebirdnerd
Merchandise from Bonfire.com bonfire.com/store/lesleythebirdnerd
Donate via Paypal
paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=E5GM54J7C28LC
Also, find LesleytheBirdNerd here:
------------------------------------
Facebook Page
facebook.com/LesleytheBirdNerd
instagram.com/lesleythebirdnerd
reddit.com/r/LesleytheBirdNerd
============================================
If you have a sick or injured bird in your possession I can not help this bird in any way it is strongly advised to contact a local vet or wildlife official before any decisions are made. It is very easy to do more harm than good when handling any wildlife.
============================================
For business inquiries or Post Office Box information
please contact Jamie at lesleythebirdnerd@gmail.com
==============================================
#LesleytheBirdNerd #Redbreastednuthatch
