Introduction
The White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) is a common and active bird found in North American mature woods. Known for its distinctive behavior of jamming nuts and seeds into tree bark and "hatching" them open, this bird has a diverse diet that varies seasonally. This article delves into the specifics of the White-breasted Nuthatch's diet, exploring its food sources, foraging habits, and how these contribute to its survival.
General Dietary Habits
White-breasted Nuthatches are known to have an appetite for insects and large, meaty seeds. Their diet consists mainly of insects and seeds and nuts, with seasonal variations. They forage on the trunks and larger limbs of trees, exploring all surfaces and sometimes feeding on the ground. During fall and winter, they regularly cache food items in bark crevices on their territory.
Insect Consumption
Insects form a significant part of the White-breasted Nuthatch's diet, especially during the summer months. They consume a variety of insects, including:
- Weevil larvae
- Wood-boring beetle larvae
- Other beetles
- Treehoppers
- Scale insects
- Ants
- Gall fly larvae
- Caterpillars (including gypsy moths and tent caterpillars)
- Stinkbugs
- Click beetles
- Spiders
Young nuthatches are fed entirely on insects and spiders.
Seeds and Nuts
Seeds and nuts are also a crucial component of the White-breasted Nuthatch's diet, particularly during the colder months. They eat:
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- Acorns
- Hawthorn
- Sunflower seeds
- Sometimes crops such as corn
At birdfeeders, they readily consume sunflower seeds, peanuts, suet, and peanut butter. The proportion of seeds in their diet may vary from zero in summer to more than 60% in winter.
Foraging Behavior
White-breasted Nuthatches forage up, down, and sideways over tree trunks and around large branches. They often start high in trees and move down them head first, pausing to crane their necks up and back, toward the horizontal, for a look around. They probe into bark crevices or chip away at wood to find food.
Caching Behavior
During the fall and winter, White-breasted Nuthatches exhibit caching behavior, storing seeds and insects one at a time under loose bark on their territory. They typically hide the food by covering it with a piece of bark, lichen, moss, or snow. This behavior helps them survive when food is scarce.
Feeding at Birdfeeders
White-breasted Nuthatches are common feeder birds and can be attracted to backyards by offering large nuts such as sunflower and peanuts, and by putting out suet. They also consume oil sunflower, sunflower chips, safflower, hulled peanuts, mealworms, tree nuts, suet blends, and Bark Butter®.
Nesting and Diet
White-breasted Nuthatches typically build their nests in natural tree cavities or abandoned woodpecker holes. The female builds the nest on her own, lining the nest cavity with fur, bark, and lumps of dirt. She then builds a nest cup of fine grass, shredded bark, feathers, and other soft material. The adults may spend minutes at a time sweeping the outside and inside of the nest with a crushed insect held in their bill; chemical secretions of insects may help repel predators. They also sometimes add mud to the rim of the nest entrance. The female incubates the eggs and is fed on the nest by the male. Both parents feed the young, who are fed entirely on insects and spiders.
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Conservation Status
The White-breasted Nuthatch is common and widespread, and populations increased more than 1% per year between 1966 and 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 10 million and rates them 6 out of 20 on the Continental Concern Score, indicating a species of low conservation concern. Like all birds that nest in holes in trees, White-breasted Nuthatches depend on having dead or partially dead trees left standing in their habitat.
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