Bird’s ID – Brown-headed Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
The Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) is a small songbird found in pine forests throughout the Southeastern United States.
The bird, like other nuthatches, possesses a sharp black nail-like beak, which it uses to pound open seeds. It is a frequent visitor to feeding stations and is highly fond of sunflower seeds and suet cakes.
Bold and inquisitive, this bird is readily approachable by humans. The bird is frequently observed using a small chip of bark held in its beak as a tool to dig for insects.
Despite the other species’ common name, the brown-headed nuthatch is about the same size as the pygmy nuthatch and the two species are the world’s smallest nuthatches. In the brown-headed nuthatch, the total length is 9–11 cm (3.5–4.3 in), wingspan is 16–18 cm (6.3–7.1 in) and body mass is 10–12 g (0.35–0.42 oz). This species sports a brown cap with narrow black eyeline and buff white cheeks, chin, and belly. Its wings are bluish-gray in color. A small white spot is found at the nape of the neck. The bird’s call is a sharp whee-hyah sounding very similar to a “rubber duck” toy and particularly is loud for a bird its size. They also make softer “pit pit pit” calls while in flight as well as other squeaking noises.
H.J. Ruiz - Avian101 
Fascinating pictures and excellent info!
Thanks so much Indira! 🙂
Loved the gallery, no help with the butterfly.
Thank you Susan! Don’t worry about the butterfly! 🙂
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The nuthatch is beautiful, as is the butterfly which seems to be a Buckeye –
Thank you Val! 🙂
These are such cute birds, nice photos, HJ! 🙂
They are! Thanks Donna! 🙂
Primi piani speciali, per un meraviglioso saggio della natura
Un saluto,silvia
Grazie mille Silvia! 🙂
Lovely images of the Nuthatch H.J. The butterfly is a Common Buckeye.
What was the ID of the other butterfly you posted with an ID request? I must have missed that in your posts that followed.
It’s posted on the blog’s right column. (You must be using the blog reader) It was the Silver Spotted Skipper Thank you Deborah. 🙂
Thanks for this. You probably saw the recent excitement over the sightings of the very similar but distinct species Bahama Nuthatch, only found on Grand Bahama and feared extinct since Hurricane Matthew. But there were 6 birds max and very likely males – so the joy may, very sadly, be short-lived unless there are some more hiding somewhere… RH
Yes, I’m aware of that great news. I think the Nuthatch in general are very resilient, and Nature usually provides the possibility for continuation. Let’s hope that the day is soon! Thank you so much RH! 🙂