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Wildlife
- Birds - |
White-breasted Nuthatch
(Sitta carolinensis) Y |
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RANGE: Resident from northwestern Washington,
southern British Columbia, central Montana, southern Manitoba,
northern Minnesota, northern Michigan, New Brunswick, and Nova
Scotia south to Baja California, southern Nevada, central and
southeastern Arizona, the highlands of Mexico, western and
east-central Texas, and northern Florida. Absent from most of
the Great Plains.
STATUS: Common.
HABITAT: Occurs primarily in deciduous and mixed forests, and
locally in coniferous forests. Prefers open woodlands, pinyon-juniper,
forest edges, parks, and partly open situations with scattered
trees.
SPECIAL HABITAT REQUIREMENTS: Natural tree cavities for nesting,
preferably in trees with a minimum of 12 inches dbh. Strongest
nesting habitat associations in Douglas-fir forest mixed
with white fir, tanoak, madrone, and/or white oak.
NEST: Prefers natural cavities in living trees at almost any
height for nesting, but will use cavities in dead or dying trees
or old woodpecker holes. Rarely, if ever, excavates its own
cavity. Chooses apple, elm, maple, aspen, and ponderosa pine for
nest trees.
FOOD: Gleans insects from the bark of tree trunks and limbs, but
also searches for seeds on the ground. In fall and winter,
primarily eats mast, sunflower seeds, and corn. During spring
and summer, eats a myriad of arthropods.
REFERENCES: Adamus et al. 2001, Bailey and Niedrach 1965, Bent
1948, DeGraff et al. 1980, Forbush and May 1955, Kilham 1968,
Miller 1999, Scott and Patton 1975, Shunk 2004, Thomas et al.
1979. |
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