These tiny, round nuthatches head south to our Valley for food

By Stephanie Hughes

Ohio certified volunteer naturalist

My husband and I watch the birds at our feeder each day. It is quality entertainment for both of us – and our cat and dogs.

We feed a scratch mix of sunflower seeds, mixed seeds and cracked corn. As well, we have two hanging suet feeders.

We see all kinds of birds.

This winter we began to notice a new kind of nuthatch, the red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta canadensis), coming each and every day. We have not seen the usual ones this winter. But these clowns are a show.

They have blue-gray compact bodies, a short tail, sharp bill, almost no neck, a black crown, white eyebrow, with a black eyeline. Their cinnamon, rusty fringed abdomen, along with short wings, give this bird a round appearance. They are only 4 inches long.

They move quickly, probing crevices of bark, creeping along trees, and hacking seeds into these crevices to beat them open so they can enjoy a tasty treat.

They love coniferous forests, but in winter they will migrate (called irruption years) into Ohio for a visit. They are somewhat uncommon to our range, but seem to cycle through irruptions every two years. These irruptions are most likely triggered by the lack of food (poor quality cone production) in their common homes of coniferous forests, likely bringing them just a little farther south than normal looking for food.

Being this far to the east in North America, our birds were more likely feeding on aspen, birch, poplar, oak, maple and basswood in their native habitats.

Cornell University says they can even go as far south as the Gulf Coast in some years.

They summer farther north to breed. In the summer they eat insects and in winter, seeds, suet and peanut butter (no, not in their native habitat.)

This friendly acrobat can hang upside down and crawl down trunks and limbs in the never-ending search for food. The ones that come to our suet feeder, in this cold, hang with one foot, as the other is tucked into the feathers to keep warm. After a few minutes the other foot comes out and the cold one is tucked back into warmth.

They are also called the Carolina nuthatch, or red-bellied nuthatch.

To see photos and learn more about this bird that you may be seeing at your feeders this winter, visit http://go.osu.edu/rednuthatch.