Red-breasted Nuthatch

Overview
Red-breasted Nuthatch: Medium nuthatch with blue-gray upperparts and pale rust-brown underparts. Head has a black cap, white eyebrow, black eyestripe; throat is white. Bill is slightly upturned. Legs and feet are black. Weak fluttering flight, alternates rapid wing beats with wings drawn to sides.

Range and Habitat
Red-breasted Nuthatch: Breeds across Canada from southeastern Alaska, Manitoba, and Newfoundland south to southern California, Arizona, the Great Lakes region, and northern New England, and south in Appalachians to North Carolina. Spends winters in breeding range and irregularly south to the Gulf Coast. Preferred habitats include coniferous forests.

The Red-breasted Nuthatch has a large range, estimated globally at 7,100,000 square kilometers. Native to North America, Saint Pierre, and Miquelon, this bird prefers subtropical or tropical forest and shrubland ecosystems as well as plantations and rural garden. The global population of this bird is estimated at 18,000,000 individuals and does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of the Red-breasted Nuthatch is Least Concern.

INTERESTING FACTS
Red-breasted Nuthatches hoard excess food by wedging nuts into bark and then hammering them in with its bill. They apply sticky conifer resin to the entrance of its nest hole. The male puts the resin on the outside of the hole while the female puts it around the inside. It may help to keep out predators or competitors. They have a greatly enlarged hind toe and a short tail, which help them climb up and down trees. A group of nuthatches are collectively known as a "jar" of nuthatches.