How to Attract White-breasted Nuthatches to Your Yard

Here is how to attract white-breasted nuthatches: offer sunflower seeds, peanuts and suet, ideally in yards with large, mature trees nearby. They live in pairs on the same territory year-round, so once a pair adopts your feeder, you can expect them daily. Keeping big trees and safe dead limbs, and placing food roughly 10 feet from trees, matters more than feeder style.

This guide covers identification, diet, the best foods and feeders, native trees, nest boxes, a seasonal calendar and common mistakes.

White-breasted nuthatch at a glance

Measurements and nesting data are from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds.

How to identify a white-breasted nuthatch

The Cornell Lab describes them as “gray-blue on the back, with a frosty white face and underparts,” often with chestnut on the lower belly and under the tail. They have a large head, almost no neck, a short tail and a long, straight bill that often looks slightly upturned.

The easiest clue is behavior. Nuthatches move “sideways and upside down on vertical surfaces as they forage,” in the Cornell Lab’s words, and they regularly creep headfirst down tree trunks. Woodpeckers brace on their tails and climb upward.

Male vs female

Males have a solid black cap. Females in many populations have a grayer crown and paler rusty underparts. When a pair comes to the feeder together, the difference is often visible side by side. In some populations the contrast is faint, so do not expect to sex every bird.

Regional differences

The Cornell Lab notes that western populations tend to be darker above than eastern birds, but “the best way to differentiate groups is by voice.” Eastern, interior western and Pacific birds give noticeably different calls, and ornithologists have discussed whether some of these groups could be separate species.

Calls and song

• Call: a nasal yank or quank, often repeated. Pairs keep in touch with softer versions as they forage.
• Song: a rapid series of nasal whistles, heard mostly in late winter and spring.

Similar species

See our guides to the Red-breasted Nuthatch and Black-capped Chickadee for more detail.

Where do white-breasted nuthatches live?

White-breasted Nuthatches live year-round across most of the lower 48 states and southern Canada, and south into Mexico, wherever there are large trees. They are scarce or absent in treeless areas such as the open Great Plains and low deserts, and in the West they are tied to woodlands such as oak, pine-oak and ponderosa pine forests.

The Cornell Lab calls them “birds of mature woods,” found more often in deciduous forest than in conifers, and also along woodland edges and “in open areas with large trees, such as parks, wooded suburbs, and yards.” A useful tip from the Cornell Lab: look for them “along the main branches of large deciduous trees.”

What do white-breasted nuthatches eat?

Insects make up much of the diet. The Cornell Lab lists weevil larvae, other beetles and their larvae, caterpillars and spiders, among others. They also eat seeds and nuts, including acorns, hawthorn fruits and sunflower seeds, with plant food more important in fall and winter.

How nuthatches open seeds

Nuthatches “jam” large seeds and nuts into bark crevices and hammer them open with their bills. This “hatching” behavior is widely considered the origin of the name nuthatch. It is also why they fly off with each seed instead of eating at the feeder: they need a crevice to work in.

Caching food for winter

White-breasted Nuthatches “store seeds and insects one at a time” under loose bark and in furrows, according to the Cornell Lab, usually in trees near the feeder. Much of the traffic you see in fall is caching, not eating, so a nuthatch can move a surprising amount of seed.

Best feeder foods for white-breasted nuthatches

The Cornell Lab recommends “offering large nuts such as sunflower and peanuts, and by putting out suet.”

Our guides to black oil sunflower seed and suet cakes and suet blends explain how to choose each food. Project FeederWatch advises against salted peanuts and peanuts with coatings or flavorings.

Best feeders for white-breasted nuthatches

Nuthatches are agile and comfortable upside down, so they use nearly any feeder.

• Suet cages: nuthatches cling on any side. Our roundup of the best suet feeders compares designs, including ones that also suit woodpeckers.
• Mesh peanut feeders: a good match for their pry-and-pull feeding style.
• Tube feeders: with ports large enough for in-shell sunflower.
• Hopper feeders: roomy and easy; also used by titmice and chickadees.
• Log or bark-style feeders: holes in a hanging log filled with suet or peanut butter mimic natural bark.
• Window feeders: nuthatches often visit them readily.

Where to put a nuthatch feeder

Nuthatches live on trunks and big branches, so feeders placed near large trees work best. Hanging a feeder from a tree limb or on a pole within a short flight of a trunk lets them grab a seed and immediately wedge it into bark. Roughly 10 feet from trees or large shrubs is a widely used compromise between quick cover and a clear view of approaching cats. Our guide to where to put a bird feeder covers height and window safety.

Smearing suet or peanut butter on bark

Because nuthatches naturally forage in bark, a small smear of suet dough or unsalted peanut butter pressed into the furrows of a tree trunk can draw them in. Use only small amounts in cool weather, since soft fats can go rancid and coat feathers in heat.

Trees and plants that attract white-breasted nuthatches

Large trees are the single biggest factor. White-breasted Nuthatches forage on trunks and main limbs, cache food in bark and nest in cavities of old trees.

Best native trees for nuthatches

• Oaks: acorns, insect-rich bark and foliage, and cavities in older trees.
• Hickories and American beech: nuts and deep bark furrows.
• Maples, elms and ashes: mature bark for foraging and cavities.
• Pines in the West: ponderosa and other pines host the western groups.
• Hawthorns: the Cornell Lab lists hawthorn among foods eaten.

Native tree ideas by region

Check with your state native plant society or cooperative extension service to confirm what is native to your county.

Leave dead limbs and snags when safe

Nuthatches nest in natural cavities and old woodpecker holes. Standing dead trees and dead limbs, where safe, provide cavities, insect food and caching sites. Woodpeckers that dig holes in snags create the nest sites nuthatches later use.

White-breasted nuthatch nest box specs

NestWatch calls the White-breasted Nuthatch “an uncommon nest box occupant” that “does occasionally use boxes when natural cavities are lacking.” Boxes can also serve as winter roosts. If you want to try, NestWatch recommends:

NestWatch also advises moving boxes into the forest interior if House Sparrows take over, since sparrows favor open areas near buildings.

Nesting facts

• Nests are in natural tree cavities or abandoned woodpecker holes in both deciduous and coniferous trees.
• The cavity is lined with fur, bark and lumps of dirt, with a cup of fine grass, shredded bark and feathers.
• Clutches are 5 to 9 eggs, creamy white to pinkish white and speckled with reddish brown, gray or purple.
• Incubation lasts 13 to 14 days, and the nestling period is about 26 days.
• Pairs raise one brood a year.

Water

A shallow bird bath near trees draws nuthatches to drink, especially in dry weather and freezing winters. A heated bath keeps water open in cold climates. Change water every few days.

Nuthatch pairs, territories and winter flocks

The Cornell Lab notes White-breasted Nuthatches “live in pairs year round” and defend territories through the year, with stable pair bonds. In winter, they “join foraging flocks led by chickadees or titmice,” along with woodpeckers, moving through the woods together.

For backyard birders, this means two things. First, you will usually see the same pair day after day rather than a changing crowd. Second, a yard that already attracts chickadees and titmice is likely to draw nuthatches too, because they travel with those flocks. See our guides to the Tufted Titmouse and chickadees for building that winter flock.

Do white-breasted nuthatches migrate?

No. White-breasted Nuthatches are year-round residents that stay on their territories, which is a key difference from the Red-breasted Nuthatch. Red-breasted Nuthatches irrupt southward in some winters when conifer seed crops fail in the North, so they may appear at feeders one winter and be absent the next. If you see a nuthatch at your feeder in July in the lowland East or South, it is almost certainly a White-breasted.

Because White-breasted Nuthatches stay put, the birds you feed in winter are probably the same ones nesting in your neighborhood. Consistent food, water and big trees through the year build a long relationship with a single pair.

Why does a nuthatch take one seed and fly off?

Watching a nuthatch at a feeder can be confusing. It lands, tosses aside a seed or two, picks one, and flies off, only to return seconds later. Three things are going on:

1. Selecting. Nuthatches often handle and drop a few seeds before settling on one.
2. Opening. They need a bark crevice to wedge the seed in and hammer it open, so they carry it to a nearby tree.
3. Caching. In fall especially, many trips end with the seed hidden in bark rather than eaten.

That pattern is normal. It also explains why feeders near big trunks attract more nuthatch visits than feeders out in the open: every round trip is shorter.

Tossing seed out of the feeder

Owners commonly report nuthatches, chickadees and titmice flicking seeds out of tube feeders while searching for the ones they prefer. If you see a lot of discarded seed under the feeder, cheap mixes with filler grains are the usual cause. Switching to straight black oil sunflower or sunflower hearts reduces waste.

Seasonal calendar

Why aren’t nuthatches coming to my feeder?

• No large trees nearby. Nuthatches are tied to mature trees.
• The feeder is far from any trunk. Move it closer to trees.
• It’s summer. Insects are plentiful and feeder use drops.
• The food is a filler mix. Switch to sunflower, peanuts or suet.
• The feeder is new. Give it time. Our guide on why birds aren’t coming to your new feeder covers the common causes.

Common mistakes

1. Hanging feeders in open lawn far from trees.
2. Removing every dead limb and snag, including safe ones.
3. Offering salted or flavored peanuts.
4. Smearing large amounts of fat on bark in warm weather.
5. Expecting a nest box to be used quickly; nuthatches prefer natural cavities.
6. Letting feeders get dirty. Project FeederWatch recommends cleaning every week or two with one part bleach to nine parts water.

Conservation status

White-breasted Nuthatches are common, widespread and of low conservation concern. The Cornell Lab reports their numbers increased by more than 1 percent per year between 1966 and 2019, with a global breeding population estimated at 10 million. The oldest known wild bird was at least 9 years, 9 months old.

The short version

Offer black oil sunflower, peanuts and suet close to large trees. Protect mature oaks, hickories and other big trees, and leave safe dead limbs. Try a 1 1/4 inch nest box if natural cavities are scarce, but expect it to be a long shot. Keep water fresh. White-breasted nuthatches are year-round residents that stay in pairs, so the pair that finds your feeder this winter may be with you for years.

Sources

• White-breasted Nuthatch overview, All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
• White-breasted Nuthatch nest box plans, NestWatch
• Feeding Birds, Project FeederWatch