Blaring sharp, tin-hornlike calls no matter the weather, busy red-breasted nuthatches add life to even the chilliest days. Frequent visitors at feeders, the incredibly active 41/2-inch-long birds are quite at home there, snatching suet, peanuts, mealworms and other goodies with their thin bills.
Male red-breasted nuthatches boast a rusty breast, blue-gray wings, black cap, white eyebrow, black eye line and white throat. Females have a lighter red breast and gray cap.
Adept climbers, they glide up and down trunks and branches in search of beetles, spiders, ants and other insects in warm months.
The birds seem almost tame, as they’re more intent on eating than reacting to your presence. Which offers the opportunity to observe their interesting behaviors, says Nancy Castillo, author of the Zen Birdfeeder blog and owner of…
