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Henry Sowell

Vol. I · Est. 2026

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

The Birds · Plate XLIV

White-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta carolinensis

Sittidae · Taxon 14801

Length13–14 cm (5.1–5.5 in)
Wingspan20–27 cm (7.9–10.6 in)
Weight18–30 g (0.6–1.1 oz)

Field marks

  1. Compact, big-headed, almost neckless shape with a very short tail
  2. Long, narrow, sharply pointed bill, straight to slightly upturned
  3. Blue-gray back and folded wings
  4. Crisp white face, throat, breast, and belly
  5. Dark cap and nape: blacker in males, grayer in females
  6. Chestnut to rusty wash or patches on the lower belly and under-tail coverts

HabitatMature deciduous woodland and woodland edge; also mixed forest with large trees, parks, and gardens.

BehaviorAgile bark-forager; climbs trunks and large branches in any orientation, often head-down, probing crevices and caching seeds.

Palette

blue-gray upperpartsfrosty white face and underpartsblack capslate-gray bill and legschestnut-rust lower belly