Breasted Nuthatch Diet

The white-breasted nuthatch and the red-breasted nuthatch are two of the four species of nuthatches that occur in North America. Both of these types of birds, as will all the nuthatches, climb down a tree headfirst and can hang upside-down, making them quickly recognizable to even a novice birdwatcher. The white and red-breasted nuthatches depend on finding adequate amounts of seeds and bugs to survive.

  1. Types

    • Among the insects that the red-breasted nuthatch catches and eats are caterpillars, beetles, ants and earwigs. The white-breasted variety will dine on include the larvae of an array of weevils as well as scales, gall fly larvae, gypsy moth caterpillars, beetles, tree hoppers and stinkbugs. Both species will eat spiders. Bugs are the major portion of the nuthatch spring and summer menus.

    Effects

    • The red-breasted nuthatch will rely heavily on the seeds of an array of coniferous trees to make it through the winter. The bird utilizes its strong bill to break open the shell and get at the edible portion of the seed. When the conifers where the red-breasted nuthatch lives have a season of producing few cones, these birds will migrate south to where ample food exists. The red-breasted nuthatch is fond of a bug known as the pear psylla and people that own pear orchards will try to attract the nuthatch with birdhouses so they can keep the population of this harmful pest in check.

    Name History

    • The name of the nuthatches originates from one of their eating habits. When the nuthatch takes a seed or nut that it cannot gain easy access to, the bird will wedge it into a crevice in a tree trunk and start to pound away on it with its bill. Nuthatches will choose some of the heaviest morsels from a bird feeder and open them in this manner. The bird got its name when "nuthack" morphed into nuthatch.

    Cache of Food

    • This white-breasted nuthatch visits a suet feeder.

      You can attract nuthatches to your bird feeders in the winter with offerings of sunflower seeds, suet and peanut butter concoctions. You will observe their behavior of grabbing a seed and flying away to another location. The nuthatch will take this extra food and cache it away for tough times, sticking it into the bark of a tree and even covering it up with a piece of moss or lichen so no other birds can see it.

    Considerations

    • Nuthatches will often team up with chickadees like this in winter.

      The nuthatch will consume nuts like acorns when they are available and the bird will eat a number of seeds. Berries and fruit are also part of the nuthatch diet. During winter, the nuthatch will team up with social birds such as chickadees and titmice, traveling in flocks with them and frequenting bird feeders with these other species. Ornithologists feel this is because more birds mean a better chance of finding food and the extra sets of eyes and ears help keep the group wary of any potential threats as they eat.