Family: Sittidae, Nuthatches view all from this family

Description 3 3/4-4 1/2" (10-11 cm). A small nuthatch. Bluish gray above, with gray-brown cap terminated by indistinct black eye line. Faint white smudge at base of nape. Creamy white below. Usually occurs in flocks.

Habitat Primarily ponderosa pine forests with undergrowth of bunchgrass. Less common in stands of other pines, Douglas fir, and western larch.

Nesting 5-9 white eggs, with reddish-brown speckles, in a nest made of a quantity of soft material, often vegetable down, amassed in the cavity of a dead pine or stump approximately 15' (5 m) from the ground.

Range Resident locally from southern British Columbia, eastward to Black Hills of South Dakota (rare), and southward into Mexico.

Voice   A monotonous peep, peep-peep.

Discussion The three nuthatch species in the West live in separate wooded habitats. The White-breasted is found mainly in the lowland oaks and riparian forests through the foothills into mixed woods, though it also extends into the mountaintop pine forests. The Pygmy Nuthatch keeps mostly to pine woodlands. The Red-breasted Nuthatch is found in the firs of the subalpine forests. All feed on bark and twig insects, as well as stored nuts, seeds, eggs, and hibernating larvae in winter.