Nuthatches are some of the most charismatic and likeable birds in North America. They are common around yards gardens, and it’s likely that if you have a bird feeder you’ve seen them coming in to grab a seed. While people are generally familiar with these little birds, there are so many interesting things about them that you may not know. In this video, I’m going to tell you five things you may not know about nuthatches.

Number 1: Their movements are unique

Nuthatches are quite acrobatic and like to climb up and down trees scouring cracks and crevices in bark. There are other birds that do similar things such as tree creepers and woodpeckers but nuthatches move in a way that is unique to them. They are some of the only North American bird species that routinely move face first down trees. Woodpeckers typically backtrack down trees and birds like Brown Creepers usually only move up the tree, flying back to the base and climbing higher. This nuthatch behavior leads to them having a specific pose that involves their body facing downward and their head facing outward. Nuthatches spend a lot of time in this position especially on large trees around bird feeders.

Number 2: There are 4 different species that live in the United States

Nuthatches aren’t quite as diverse as some other common birds such as chickadees or finches that have many different species in different parts of the country, but there are four distinct species and a few more subspecies that reside in the United States. The one that most feeder watchers probably encounter the most is the White breasted Nuthatch that lives year round in most parts of the continental United States as well as parts of Canada and Mexico. The Red Breasted Nuthatch is another fairly common bird that shows up in greater or lesser numbers depending on the year. Pygmy Nuthatches are birds of the western United States, living in particular habitats. And last but not least, the Brown Headed Nuthatch can be found in the southeastern part of the United States. There are also other nuthatch species that live on completely other continents but in the US these are the four expected species.

Number 3: Most don’t migrate

Nuthatches in the United States are not birds that are known for their migrations. Three out of the four species generally stay put residing in the same areas year round. Part of the reason for this is that they can be habitat specific, especially the brown headed nuthatch and the Pygmy Nuthatch. There is one North American species that does migrate though; the red breasted Nuthatch. Red Breasted Nuthatches are irruptive migrators, meaning they move based on available food sources in the north. The more food available the less they move, if food is scarce, they spread out, sometimes all over the country. There are many different bird pieces that migrate this way, and Red Breasted Nuthatches are actually among the first to move south.

Number 4: They’re named after one of their behaviors

Nuthatch is an odd sounding name, but its actually a reference to one of their behaviors. Nuthatches have a habit of taking seeds and other food items and using their bill to hammer them into crevices in trees. There are multiple stories about exactly how the name came to be with some people thinking the hatch part is short for hatchet and others think it comes from the word nuthack, but either way, this common behavior is what these birds are named for.

Number 5: Some live in family units

It’s not uncommon for small birds to travel around together in mixed flocks. This is especially true for kinglets, Chickadees, and Warblers. Some species of nuthatches, most notably Pygmy Nuthatches and Brown headed Nuthatches take it a step further and routinely live in small flocks. These aren’t just groups of random individuals though, they are actually family units consisting of last year’s young. These birds stick around to help raise the next generation. For birders and feeder watchers in areas with these birds, its common to see them show up together in these small groups.

Nuthatches are some of the most energetic and entertaining backyard birds and I hope you learned a few things you didn’t already know. If you liked this video, take a look at another one of our videos about birds and birding and as always, thanks for watching, we’ll see you next time on Badgerland Birding.