Red breasted nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch, love these little upside down cuties!!

The upside-down bird (Red-breasted Nuthatch) lived up to its nickname in this series. Braving single-digit temperatures, this dapper male hung on pine cones to dig out seeds for its sustenance. It is 4.3 inches long and weighs 0.3-to-0.5 ounce, or about the same as two quarters.

Small, cute, energetic nuthatch. Distinctive with bold black-and-white head pattern, blue-gray upperparts, and orangey belly. Males are brighter than females. Typically found in coniferous or mixed forests, often in mixed flocks with other songbirds. Creeps along tree trunks and branches, often upside-down. Nomadic; they sometimes move south in large numbers in fall and winter. Visits feeders. Listen for nasal calls.

Red breasted nuthatch posing on a pine cone

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An intense bundle of energy at your feeder, Red-breasted Nuthatches are tiny, active birds of north woods and western mountains. These long-billed, short-tailed songbirds travel through tree canopies with chickadees, kinglets, and woodpeckers but stick to tree trunks and branches, where they search bark furrows for hidden insects. Their excitable yank-yank calls sound like tiny tin horns being honked in the treetops.

Many birds migrate in the fall to warmer climates, but we have a variety of winter birds that stick around and tough out the harsh cold, and some birds even migrate to the Midwest for the cold winter months.