Synonyms: RBNU.
"Red-breasted Nuthatches nest farther north and higher in the mountains than their relatives; when winter food crops fail in these boreal forests, they may migrate hundreds of miles to the south."
They are seen in Maryland mainly in the winter.
"Nesting habitat almost always has many conifers, such as spruce, fir, hemlock, either in pure stands or mixed with deciduous trees. Mature forest preferred, perhaps because old decaying wood needed for nest sites. In migration and winter may appear in any wooded habitat, but conifers always chosen if available" (Audubon:Red-breasted Nuthatch).
Red-breasted Nuthatches migrate southward earlier than many other irruptive species.
In the eastern states, the breeding range has been expanding southward because the birds have been nesting in plantings of ornamental conifers.
The sexes are similar, although the female and juvenile have a duller head and paler underparts.
Look for the Red-breasted Nuthatch gleaning trunks and branches, probing for insects and spiders in crevices and under flakes of bark.
In winter, Red-breasted Nuthatches eat many conifer seeds.
There are 569 records in the project database.
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