One is Matter-o-Fact, the Other is Happy-Go-Jolly
I sometimes think that the bird-lover finds a little more pleasure in the out of doors than any other hobby-rider. Still, let us not quarrel with the patient botanist, the studious astronomer, the ardent angler or even the golfbug! Each man to his hobby, and our motto, “Laissez-faire.” Let us reserve our hatchets for the poor duffer who refuses to pursue an avocation. But the bird student can enjoy the snowstorm as well as the sunshine, or even a rainy day, mayhap. He walks erect, his head thrown back, eyes alert. There escapes him neither the glory of the sunrise nor the whispering of the leaves; neither the beauty of anemone or trillium, nor the splendor of the stars in the evening. Bird study is open to the rich and poor, old and young, and it is fascinating to the person who merely desires pleasure and relaxation as well as to the painstaking investigator.
“Each to His Hobby”, an excerpt from Edward Sinclair Thomas, 1981, In Ohio Woods and Fields, page 1.
Ohio Naturalist, Edward Sinclair Thomas first penned this essay in 1922 expressing his view of the joys of birdwatching. Annually, winter arrives and many people begin to fill their feeders with seed to attract and observe winter birds. As Thomas notes, everyone can enjoy bird watching at whichever level they chose. Watching species that occur near where one lives can be a rewarding and enjoyable learning experience. It’s possible that at least 20 species of birds visit every feeding station in Ohio during our winter months.
Two species that are often observed at many feeders in Ohio are White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches. Members of a small family of birds with only four species in North America, they are best known as the only species of bird that regularly forages while moving down a tree headfirst in search of food items. This behavior is an adaptation that is thought to allow them to locate food items missed by other birds. They possess long toes with very sharp claws that allow them to easily cling upside down on tree trunks descending from the top in a series of short, jerky hops.
Both nuthatches can be described as short, stocky birds that are blue-gray above and white beneath with long straight bills. The White-breasted Nuthatch is the noticeably larger of the two Ohio species. White-breasted Nuthatches are easily distinguished by the large white areas on the side of the face and neck and the all-white flanks and belly. In contrast, Red-breasted Nuthatches are smaller and show a prominent black eye-stripe, dark cap and buffy to red-brown wash on the flanks, chest and belly.
Of the two species, the White-breasted Nuthatch is much more common. This permanent resident of Ohio is not only a common sight at winter feeding stations, but it also nests in all 88 of Ohio’s counties and has an estimated statewide population of 280,000 individuals (Rodewald et al 2016). As inhabitants of open deciduous forests, they are regularly encountered in parks, gardens, small woodlots and cemeteries. While they are generally referred to as “common”, most observations and occurrences are of single or pairs of birds. They are rarely observed in groups outside of family groups at the time of fledging during breeding season. They appear to bond for life and in the winter, while not often seen together, the pair is generally within “ear-shot” of each other in the woodlot they utilize for breeding.
Though mostly considered a winter visitor, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is also a rare breeding species in Ohio. As a resident of mostly northern forests comprised of balsam, spruces and pines, the southern edge of its breeding range extends into Ohio. Ohio’s first nesting Red-breasted Nuthatch was documented in 1929 by Lawrence Hicks in Ashtabula County (Hicks 1933). Most records of breeding Red-breasted Nuthatches are from the northern third of Ohio; however, there are a few records from the Hocking Hills and adjacent region which suggest a small localized breeding population in this area (Rodewald et al 2016). Their winter movements into Ohio span the range from winters with very few, if any, individuals observed to invasion years where they are very widespread and can be observed in good daily numbers. An indication of an invasion year, beyond cone crop failure forecasts, is the arrival of Red-breasted Nuthatches as early as late August with numbers increasing throughout September.
Both nuthatches are cavity nesters often using deserted woodpecker holes at least 15-feet above the ground. Red-breasted Nuthatches are also known for utilizing the pine pitch residue of their coniferous forest trees to smear around the nest hole to discourage predators from attacking their nesting cavities. When approaching a nesting cavity, Red-breasted Nuthatches especially are known for folding their wings and flying straight into the cavity in a straight dive without touching any of the edges of the nesting hole.
Both species of nuthatches are known to cache food items for future meals. While foraging for food items, they will often take a seed and wedge it into the bark of a tree and break off smaller pieces to eat. Sometimes they leave a piece behind to come back for retrieval later. The photo here shows a piece of sunflower seed that a White-breasted Nuthatch was observed using when performing this characteristic behavior.
Their common name nuthatch is a corruption of “nuthack” referring to the habit these birds have of securing a seed in a crack in a log or back then “hacking” away at it with its beak until it opens. The Cherokee Indians called the nuthatch Tsuliena meaning deaf, a reference to their tame nature around humans and appearing deaf to man-made noises.
The specific genus name for the nuthatches Sitta, is from Greek and was used by Aristotle for “a bird that pecks at the bark of a tree”, possibly referring to the nuthatch. The White-breasted Nuthatch’s scientific name is Sitta carolinensis, suggesting a more southern “of Carolina” range; however, it ranges throughout a large portion of the United States and central Canada. Sitta canadensis, the Red-breasted Nuthatch refers to “of Canada” due to its more northern breeding range, which extends south in the upper elevations of the Appalachian Mountains.
Both species of nuthatches that occur in Ohio are fairly vocal and as winter residents calling throughout the season. The White-breasted Nuthatch call has been described as a high-pitched “nit-nit-nit-nit” or “yank-yank-yank-yank”. A louder call often heard on sunny days is paraphrased “what-what-what-what-what”. Arthur Cleveland Bent notes that some consider the White-breasted Nuthatch as a very “matter-o-fact bird”. These plain loud calls would seem indicative of such a bird. The Red-breasted Nuthatch on the other is felt to be “a happy-go-jolly bird” with a variety of nasally short “yna-yna-yna” or longer nasally “yaaaaaa-yaaaaa-yaaaa”. In migrating flocks or loose groups, Red-breasted Nuthatches tend to be very vocal with a variety of nasally squeaks continually repeated to each other by all in the group.
Ohio has one other nuthatch record. A Brown-headed Nuthatch visited a feeder in Geauga County between November 21, 2001 and January 15, 2002 (Rosche 2004). Brown-headed Nuthatches are commonly found in the southern oak-pine forest of the southeastern United States with only a few records outside of its normal range.
2020 was certainly a trying year. However, one positive aspect is that families, as they were locked down at home, began to notice the birds in their yard. The Cornell Laboratory, who operates eBird, reported more than 150,000 people downloaded the Lab’s free Merlin smartphone app for bird identification in April 2020, which is the largest monthly increase in the app’s six-year history. (Lots of People Are Discovering the Joy of Birding from Home During Lockdown, June 6, 2020, Cornell Laboratory). The National Audubon Society reported in August 2020 that while many sectors of the economy continued to struggle, “backyard birding” has hit an all-time high. They report that May sales of supplies such as birdseed, birdbaths, feeders, etc. were up by 50-80% in many areas. (Birdwatching is a Bright Spot in a Pandemic-Stricken Economy, August 6, 2020). The more people, and especially children, who find the joy and calm of bird watching, the more likely this will result in the recruitment of new supporters to the overall pool of those promoting preservation and conservation efforts in Ohio and across the country. That is a true win for Ohio’s natural areas.
John Watts is a retired Resource Manager, Columbus Metro Parks, and a member of the Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association (ONAPA) Board Advisory Committee.
Rosche, Larry. 2004. Birds of the Cleveland Region. Kirtland Bird Club. Cleveland, Ohio.
Hicks, Lawrence E. 1933. The Breeding Birds of Ashtabula County, Ohio. Wilson Bulletin. XLV, December 1933.
Bent, Arthur Cleveland. 1964. Life Histories of North American Nuthatches, Wrens, Thrashers and their Allies. Dover Publications Inc., New York.
Rodewald, Paul G. et al. 2016. The Second Atlas of Breeding Birds in Ohio. University Park, PA: Penn State University Press. Pp. 302-305.
Terres, John K. 1980. The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. Alford Knopf. New York.
1993. Martin, Laura K. The Folklore of Birds. The Globe Pequot Press. Old Saybrook, Connecticut.