Red-breasted Nuthatch
Encyclopedia
The Red-breasted Nuthatch, Sitta canadensis, is a small songbird
. The adult has blue-grey upperparts with cinnamon underparts, a white throat and face with a black stripe through the eyes, a straight grey bill and a black crown. Its call, which has been likened to a tin trumpet, is high-pitched and nasal. It breeds in coniferous forests across Canada
, Alaska
and the northeastern and western United States
. Though often a permanent resident, it regularly irrupts further south if its food supply fails. There are records of vagrants occurring as far south as the Gulf Coast and northern Mexico. It forages on the trunks and large branches of trees, often descending head first, sometimes catching insects in flight. Its eat mainly insects and seeds, especially from conifers. It excavates a nest in dead wood, often close to the ground, smearing the entrance to their nest with pitch.
, 1758), a name derived from sittē (σιττη), the Ancient Greek
word for the Eurasian Nuthatch
. The specific epithet canadensis is New Latin
for "belonging to Canada". The species was given its scientific name by Carl Linnaeus in 1766, based on a specimen collected in Canada. "Nuthatch" is a linguistic corruption of "nuthack", referring to the bird's habit of wedging nuts into cracks in tree bark and hacking at them until they break open. "Red-breasted" is a reference to the rusty colour of the male's underparts.
In the past, the Red-breasted Nuthatch and four other species — the Corsican Nuthatch
, the Chinese Nuthatch, the Algerian Nuthatch
and the Krüper's Nuthatch
— were thought to be a single species. These five make up a well-defined species group
known as the "Sitta canadensis group", and are sometimes considered to be a superspecies
. Within the species group, DNA
studies have shown that the Red-breasted Nuthatch, the Corsican Nuthatch
and the Chinese Nuthatch make up one clade
and the Algerian Nuthatch
and Krüper's Nuthatch
make up a sister clade. The Red-breasted Nuthatch is monotypic across its extensive range.
, measuring 4.5 in (11.4 cm) in length, with a wingspan of 8.5 in (21.6 cm)and a weight of 0.35 oz (10 g). Its back and uppertail are bluish, and its underparts rust-colored. It has a black cap and eye line and a white supercilium
(eyebrow). Sexes are similarly plumaged, though females and youngsters have duller heads and paler underparts.
, Baja California Norte and south along the Pacific slope as far as Sinaloa
. In the eastern United States, its range is expanding southwards. Though formerly resident on Isla Guadalupe, an island off the western coast of Mexico, it appears to have been extirpated there, with the last known record of the species on the island dating from 1971. There is a single vagrant record for Mexico's Isla Socorro. It is an extremely rare vagrant
to Europe, with two records in the western Palearctic
; one bird successfully overwintered in eastern England.
s and creepers, it does not use its tail as a prop while climbing. It tends to be found singly or in pairs, and forages from low to high on tree trunks and branches.
, which are white, creamy or pinkish, and covered with reddish-brown speckles; the eggs measure 0.6 – long by 0.4 – wide, and are incubated for 12–13 days.
by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In the Americas
, it is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
.
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
. The adult has blue-grey upperparts with cinnamon underparts, a white throat and face with a black stripe through the eyes, a straight grey bill and a black crown. Its call, which has been likened to a tin trumpet, is high-pitched and nasal. It breeds in coniferous forests across Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and the northeastern and western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Though often a permanent resident, it regularly irrupts further south if its food supply fails. There are records of vagrants occurring as far south as the Gulf Coast and northern Mexico. It forages on the trunks and large branches of trees, often descending head first, sometimes catching insects in flight. Its eat mainly insects and seeds, especially from conifers. It excavates a nest in dead wood, often close to the ground, smearing the entrance to their nest with pitch.
Taxonomy
Like all nuthatches, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is assigned to the genus Sitta (LinnaeusCarolus Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
, 1758), a name derived from sittē (σιττη), the Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
word for the Eurasian Nuthatch
Eurasian Nuthatch
The Eurasian Nuthatch, Sitta europaea, is a small passerine found throughout temperate Europe and Asia, although not in Ireland. It belongs to the nuthatch family Sittidae....
. The specific epithet canadensis is New Latin
New Latin
The term New Latin, or Neo-Latin, is used to describe the Latin language used in original works created between c. 1500 and c. 1900. Among other uses, Latin during this period was employed in scholarly and scientific publications...
for "belonging to Canada". The species was given its scientific name by Carl Linnaeus in 1766, based on a specimen collected in Canada. "Nuthatch" is a linguistic corruption of "nuthack", referring to the bird's habit of wedging nuts into cracks in tree bark and hacking at them until they break open. "Red-breasted" is a reference to the rusty colour of the male's underparts.
Corsican Nuthatch
The Corsican Nuthatch, Sitta whiteheadi, is a small passerine bird which is endemic to Corsica, where it is the only nuthatch.The Corsican Nuthatch is a resident bird of the mountain forests of Corsica, and is closely associated with Corsican Pine preferably with some very old trees aged 300 years...
, the Chinese Nuthatch, the Algerian Nuthatch
Algerian Nuthatch
The Algerian Nuthatch, Sitta ledanti, is a small passerine bird which is the only bird species endemic to Algeria, where it is also the only nuthatch. It was first discovered in 1973....
and the Krüper's Nuthatch
Krüper's Nuthatch
The Krüper's Nuthatch, Sitta krueperi, is a small nuthatch. The name commemorates the German naturalist Theodor Johannes Krüper.thumb|left|Illustration by [[Joseph Wolf]], 1865-Distribution and habitat:...
— were thought to be a single species. These five make up a well-defined species group
Species group
A species group is an informal taxonomic rank into which an assemblage of closely related species within a genus are grouped because of their morphological similarities and their identity as a biological unit with a single monophyletic origin.-Use:...
known as the "Sitta canadensis group", and are sometimes considered to be a superspecies
Superspecies
A superspecies is a group of at least two more or less distinctive species with approximately parapatric distributions. Not all species complexes, whether cryptices or ring species are superspecies, and vice versa, but many are...
. Within the species group, DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
studies have shown that the Red-breasted Nuthatch, the Corsican Nuthatch
Corsican Nuthatch
The Corsican Nuthatch, Sitta whiteheadi, is a small passerine bird which is endemic to Corsica, where it is the only nuthatch.The Corsican Nuthatch is a resident bird of the mountain forests of Corsica, and is closely associated with Corsican Pine preferably with some very old trees aged 300 years...
and the Chinese Nuthatch make up one clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
and the Algerian Nuthatch
Algerian Nuthatch
The Algerian Nuthatch, Sitta ledanti, is a small passerine bird which is the only bird species endemic to Algeria, where it is also the only nuthatch. It was first discovered in 1973....
and Krüper's Nuthatch
Krüper's Nuthatch
The Krüper's Nuthatch, Sitta krueperi, is a small nuthatch. The name commemorates the German naturalist Theodor Johannes Krüper.thumb|left|Illustration by [[Joseph Wolf]], 1865-Distribution and habitat:...
make up a sister clade. The Red-breasted Nuthatch is monotypic across its extensive range.
Description
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a small passerinePasserine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
, measuring 4.5 in (11.4 cm) in length, with a wingspan of 8.5 in (21.6 cm)and a weight of 0.35 oz (10 g). Its back and uppertail are bluish, and its underparts rust-colored. It has a black cap and eye line and a white supercilium
Supercilium
The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head. Also known as an "eyebrow", it is distinct from the eyestripe, which is a line which runs...
(eyebrow). Sexes are similarly plumaged, though females and youngsters have duller heads and paler underparts.
Voice
The Red-breasted Nuthatch's call is high-pitched, nasal and weak. Transcribed as yenk or ink, they have been likened to a toy tin horn or a child's noisemaker. Its song is a slowly repeated series of clear, nasal, rising notes, transcribed as eeen eeen eeen.Habitat and range
Though it is primarily a fulltime resident of northern and subalpine conifer forests, the Red-breasted Nuthatch regularly migrates irruptively, with both the number migrating and the wintering locations varying from year to year. They sometimes reach northern Mexico, where they are rare winter visitors to Nuevo LeonNuevo León
Nuevo León It is located in Northeastern Mexico. It is bordered by the states of Tamaulipas to the north and east, San Luis Potosí to the south, and Coahuila to the west. To the north, Nuevo León has a 15 kilometer stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border adjacent to the U.S...
, Baja California Norte and south along the Pacific slope as far as Sinaloa
Sinaloa
Sinaloa officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 18 municipalities and its capital city is Culiacán Rosales....
. In the eastern United States, its range is expanding southwards. Though formerly resident on Isla Guadalupe, an island off the western coast of Mexico, it appears to have been extirpated there, with the last known record of the species on the island dating from 1971. There is a single vagrant record for Mexico's Isla Socorro. It is an extremely rare vagrant
Vagrancy (biology)
Vagrancy is a phenomenon in biology whereby individual animals appear well outside their normal range; individual animals which exhibit vagrancy are known as vagrants. The term accidental is sometimes also used...
to Europe, with two records in the western Palearctic
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight ecozones dividing the Earth's surface.Physically, the Palearctic is the largest ecozone...
; one bird successfully overwintered in eastern England.
Behaviour
Like all nuthatches, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is an acrobatic species, hitching itself up and down tree trunks and branches. Unlike woodpeckerWoodpecker
Woodpeckers are near passerine birds of the order Piciformes. They are one subfamily in the family Picidae, which also includes the piculets and wrynecks. They are found worldwide and include about 180 species....
s and creepers, it does not use its tail as a prop while climbing. It tends to be found singly or in pairs, and forages from low to high on tree trunks and branches.
Feeding
The Red-breasted Nuthatch's diet changes depending on the season. In the summer, it eats mostly insects, occasionally even flycatching, while in the winter, it switches to conifer seeds.Breeding
The Red-breasted Nuthatch, like all nuthatches, is monogamous. It excavates its own cavity nest, taking one to eight weeks to do so and smears sap around the entrance hole, presumably to help deter predators. The female lays 2–8 eggsEgg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
, which are white, creamy or pinkish, and covered with reddish-brown speckles; the eggs measure 0.6 – long by 0.4 – wide, and are incubated for 12–13 days.
Conservation status and threats
Because of its large global range and its increasing population, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is rated as a species of Least ConcernLeast Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
, it is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 , codified at , is a United States federal law, at first enacted in 1916 in order to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Great Britain...
.
External links
- MP3 audio file of the Red-breasted Nuthatch's song
- Red-breasted Nuthatch videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection.
- Red-breasted Nuthatch, Hinterland Who's Who
- Red-breasted Nuthatch, Birds of Nova Scotia