The White-breasted Nuthatch is the little upside-down bird — blue-gray above, clean white below, with a black cap and a chisel bill, spiraling headfirst down tree trunks in a way no other Michigan bird does. That downward view lets it find insects hidden in bark crevices that right-side-up woodpeckers and creepers miss.
Nuthatches are year-round residents of deciduous woods and are feeder regulars, announcing themselves with a nasal "yank-yank" call. Pairs stay on territory together all year and join chickadee-titmouse flocks each winter.
Insects and spiders gleaned from bark in the warm months; nuts and large seeds in winter. The name comes from their habit of jamming a nut into bark and "hatching" it open with blows of the bill — they also cache seeds this way, one per crevice.
It's their foraging niche: descending headfirst reveals prey tucked under bark flaps that upward-climbing birds walk right past. Strong toes and a stubby tail make the trick possible.
From "nut-hack": they wedge a seed or nut into a bark crevice and hack it open with the bill. In fall you can watch them cache sunflower seeds all over a tree's trunk, one seed per hiding spot.
Occasionally — they prefer natural cavities and old woodpecker holes, but will accept a box with a 1¼-inch hole in mature woods. They famously "sweep" the entrance with crushed insects, possibly to mask their scent.
No — this is a permanent resident here, recorded in all twelve months. Numbers are highest from April through July. What changes through the year is behavior rather than presence: conspicuous song and display in spring, quieter foraging the rest of the year.
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