Family:
The red-breasted nuthatch is very similar to the Eurasian nuthatch. They are small, compact very active songbirds with virtually no neck, a short tail, and a long sharply pointed bill. Males have blue-grey upperparts and rust-coloured underparts. The throat is white and the crown is black and they have a thick black line that runs through the eye with a white eyebrow above.
The female is similar but has a browner cup and is paler underneath.
They spend their time in trees zig-zagging up and down and from side to side hunting for food.
In the summer red-breasted nuthatches eats mostly insects while in the winter it eats conifer seeds. They will wedge pieces of food in crevices so they can break them up with their bills.
Red-breasted nuthatches are found across North America with records occurring as far south as the Gulf Coast and northern Mexico. They are found in coniferous forests but will also visit gardens in search of seeds and suet.
