In their topsy-turvy search for insects and grubs hiding in the bark of trees, nuthatches are upside down as often as they are right side up. In fact, among birds that forage in tree trunks, they are the only ones that regularly feed moving head downward, often finding food in bark crevices overlooked in their upward search. The name nuthatch refers to their habit of forcing soft-shelled nuts into the crevices of trees and then hammering them open with their bills. They are small birds, measuring 3 1/2 to 7 inches (9 to 18 centimeters), with bluish-gray and white backs, white or reddish-brown breasts, and short, square tails. They nest in northern woods, usually in a hole dug into a dead tree or into the top of a stump. The creeper, a relative of the nuthatch, is a little brown bird with a dull white breast. It hunts for its insect food by spiraling upright around the tree trunk from bottom to top using its spiky tail for a brace then flutters to the base of the next tree to begin again. Creepers nest in the evergreen forests of southeastern Alaska and southern Canada and in the mountains of the western United States and Central America. They often build their nests behind the loose bark of old trees. The scientific name of the creeper family is Certhiidae. The one species native to the United States is the brown creeper, or tree creeper (Certhia familiaris). The scientific name of the nuthatch family is Sittidae. There are four species found in North America. The white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) ranges from Manitoba to Mexico. The red-breasted nuthatch (S. canadensis) extends across the continent and from the upper Yukon Valley to southern California. The brown-headed nuthatch (S. pusilla) is found in the coastal pine belt of the southeastern United States. The pygmy nuthatch (S. pygmaea) is the smallest North American species and lives in the pine forests of western North America, including parts of Mexico. |