Michigan Birds: White-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch, photo by Beth Crawford 65.

On their White-breasted Nuthatch page, All About Birds notes that although this is the largest nuthatch, it’s still a small bird. They say:

Nuthatches are active, agile little birds with an appetite for insects and large, meaty seeds. They get their common name from their habit of jamming large nuts and acorns into tree bark, then whacking them with their sharp bill to “hatch” out the seed from the inside. White-breasted Nuthatches may be small but their voices are loud, and often their insistent nasal yammering will lead you right to them.

For more about these common Michigan birds including photos and songs, click the link above and also see Sitta carolinensis (white-breasted nuthatch) from the UM Animal Diversity Web and White-breasted Nuthatch on Wikipedia.

That Wikipedia link shows the bird upside down, a position that Beth says this one is usually in. Check out more shots in her White-breasted Nuthatch set (slideshow).

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