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Henry Sowell

Vol. I · Est. 2026

Pl. CXXXII
Field-journal plate: Red-breasted Nuthatch
The Red-breasted Nuthatch plate as rendered on the e-ink frame
As rendered on the frame

The Birds · Plate CXXXII

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta canadensis

Sittidae · Taxon 14823

Length11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in)
Wingspan17–21 cm (6.7–8.3 in)
Weight8–13 g (0.3–0.5 oz)

Field marks

  1. Black crown with a bold black stripe through the eye
  2. Broad white eyebrow and pale white face
  3. Blue-gray back and wings with darker flight feathers
  4. Rusty cinnamon breast, belly, and flanks
  5. Long, straight, sharply pointed gray bill
  6. Compact body with dark legs and a very short, square-tipped tail

HabitatPrimarily mature coniferous and mixed forests, especially stands containing spruce, fir, pine, hemlock, or larch; may use other wooded habitats outside the breeding season.

BehaviorActive bark-forager that moves rapidly headfirst down, upward, and sideways along trunks and branches; probes bark crevices for insects and seeds, caches food, and has short, bouncy flight.

Palette

blue-grayrusty cinnamonblackwhiteslate gray