White-breasted Nuthatch
(Sitta carolinensis)

Overview

Summary

© Dan Busby
For additional photos and vocalizations, visit Dendroica. (Link opens in a new window.)

The White-breasted Nuthatch is an uncommon species across Canada's southern deciduous forests, although it can be locally common and conspicuous at winter bird feeders. The Breeding Bird Survey shows that populations have increased substantially since 1970, a trend that has been evident across most of its breeding range in Canada. However, numbers can fluctuate markedly from year to year. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• BirdLife International / NatureServe
• Breeding Bird Survey (BBS): Relative Abundance and Breeding Distribution (1993-2012)

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation of world population

Conservation and management

There are currently few conservation concerns for this increasing species. However, as a species that requires natural holes in large, old trees, the White-breasted Nuthatch may experience reduced densities due to logging practices that reduce the number of trees suitable for nesting (Grubb and Pravosudov 2008). The species may be sensitive to configuration and size of woodlots during the winter season (Grubb and Pravosudov 2008).

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

• conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
• stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
• management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
• other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

References

• Grubb, Jr., T.C. and V.V. Pravosudov. 2008. White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Grubb, Jr., T.C. and V.V. Pravosudov. 2008. White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)