An agile tree-trunk visitor that pairs mature deciduous trees with a reliable source of large seeds, nuts, or suet.
By Birdly Yard Editorial TeamReviewed Updated
Local season
Months with a state-level historical signal for this species.
Choose a starting point for White-breasted Nuthatch. Open a setup to see the supplies, steps and checks for your location.
Black-oil seed + a raised platform
See setup & checksEstablished trees with accessible bark
See setup & checksAn existing hole in a safe tree
See setup & checksResource illustrations are not complete nest-box designs or a promise of visits.
They pick insects from bark and also eat seeds and nuts, especially in colder months. Sunflower, peanuts, and suet can supplement natural food. Watch for a bird moving headfirst down a trunk or placing food into a bark crevice.
Mature deciduous and mixed woods, wooded parks, and yards with large trees provide bark-foraging surfaces and cavities. Preserve safe old trees and reduce pesticide use. They nest in cavities rather than building an exposed cup nest on a branch.
Status
Historical seasonal record
Look for it
Check main branches and trunks of large trees, especially when chickadees and titmice are moving through.
Food
Insects, sunflower seeds, peanuts, suet, and other large, meaty seeds.
Nesting
Nest-box guidance available
Large deciduous trees and connected woody cover support its bark-foraging routine.
Insects, sunflower seeds, peanuts, suet, and other large, meaty seeds.
Offer sunflower, peanuts, or suet in a clean feeder placed close to mature trees and an easy retreat route.
Uses cavities and may use a correctly sized nest box installed before breeding season with predator protection.
Box specification
1 1/4 in round entrance, 5–20 high, at least 1040 apart.
Placement
Add 1 in wood shavings; face away from prevailing wind.
Install and maintain outside active nesting; do not touch, move, or repeatedly disturb an active nest.
Moves quickly across bark at unusual angles and wedges nuts or acorns into crevices before opening them.
Use a trunk-side perch or natural bark backdrop and let the bird work through its normal foraging route.
Avoid placing feeders where cats can wait below or where a nest box cannot be protected from predators.
Continue exploring
Compare food, habitat and nesting. Local seasonal records vary by species.
