Ever since I took up birding, more than 30 years ago, nuthatches have been one of my favorite groups of birds. The white-breasted nuthatch was the first "unusual" bird that I discovered in my backyard and I was amazed by its ability to move along the trunks and branches at all angles, seemingly immune to gravity. I soon learned that it is but one of four species of nuthatch in the U.S., all of which hunt for insects and larvae in a similar, death defying manner.
White-breasted nuthatches are common throughout most of the U.S., absent only where open plains or desert keep the woodlands at bay. Their red-breasted cousins inhabit mountainous and northern regions of the country, descending to lowlands and more southern regions during the winter months. Both of these species are usually found alone or in pairs, though they often feed with mixed flocks of titmice, chickadees, kinglets and downy woodpeckers.
Pygmy and brown-headed nuthatches are very similar in appearance and behavior. They favor coniferous woodlands and generally move about in large, noisy flocks. Pygmy nuthatches are common in the ponderosa pine woodlands of the western foothills and mesas while brown-heads are residents of the southeastern pine forests. Like their larger cousins, they seem to enjoy the company of other forest birds.
