Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

White-breasted Nuthatch [lateral view of adult]. Photograph Credit: Melinda Fawver; Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Pickett County, Tennessee; 1 April 2012.

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Abundance: Fairly Common at all seasons but less detectible during late spring and early summer when breeding and more detectible during remaining seasons; recorded in all Regional counties (Map of UCR Distribution); the Regional population trend is probably stable, perhaps even increasing (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Permanent Resident; specimen (6 June 1938; Coopersville, Wayne County, Kentucky; W. M. Perrygo; Wetmore 1940); photograph (above); photograph [dorsal view of adult] (Stephen J. Stedman; City Lake, Putnam County, Tennessee; 3 March 2012); see also link under Remarks (below).

Regional High Count and CBC/CBB High Count: 136 (23 December 2009/23 December 2010; Cumberland County, Tennessee [Crossville CBC]; m. ob.; see also Remarks [below]); FBC/FBB High Count: 115 (4 October 2008; White County, Tennessee [FBC]; m. ob.); SBC/SBB High Count: 57 (10 May 2008; Putnam County, Tennessee [SBC]; m. ob.).

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent). An obligate cavity nester, this nuthatch generally excavates the nest cavity in a dead tree or in a dead limb of a live tree; infrequently accepts artificial nest boxes.

Habitat: x

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 104 (of 125) monthly check-lists during 2003 and on 178 (of 206) check-lists during 2004, resulting in a YardWatch frequency classification of Common in each year; this YardWatch frequency classification indicates that this nuthatch is more frequently encountered in Regional yards and neighborhoods than in the Region as a whole, a not unexpected result, given the tendency of this species to frequent feeding stations.

Foray Results: A summary of data from UCR Forays follows (to view a map displaying foray data for a county or a sub-Region for this species, click on the name of an underlined county or state below):

* Because some foray blocks fall into two or three counties, the total of blocks in the Kentucky or Tennessee portions of the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the counties of each portion of the Region; similarly, because some blocks fall into both states, the total of blocks for the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the two states.

Remarks: The Regional High Count (136 [above]) was achieved during two Christmas Bird Counts conducted in and around Crossville, Cumberland County, Tennessee; this total is also the highest ever accumulated on a CBC conducted in Tennessee (LINK to High Counts for CBCs Conducted in Tennessee).

    This nuthatch is among the five species that most frequently associate with foraging flocks of titmouses and chickadees from late summer through early spring; from one (usually) to several (infrequently) individuals of this species often make up part of the composition of such woodland foraging flocks.

    White-breasted Nuthatches become quite reticent during the nesting cycle, as evidenced by the low numbers counted on Regional Spring Bird Counts and Spring BirdBlitzes as compared to greater numbers counted on Fall Bird Counts/Fall BirdBlitzes and Christmas Bird Counts/Christmas BirdBlitzes (see Regional High Count [above]).  Numbers of this nuthatch counted in foray blocks during late May and early June are also low, usually 1-3 per block being recorded, also attesting to the decreased detectibility of this nuthatch during the nesting cycle (see also Foray Results [above]).

    This nuthatch and other nuthatches are the only species of birds to climb head-first down tree trunks; they do so by positioning their legs parallel to the ground while simultaneously positioning their body perpendicular to the ground as illustrated in this photo (Judy C. Fuson; Hurricane Ridge Rd., DeKalb County, Tennessee; 13 January 2010).

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited