White-breasted Nuthatch

Look for

A small blue-gray bird that walks face-down on tree trunks — the only common bird that moves head-first toward the ground. Black cap, clean white face and underparts, chestnut wash on the belly. Long dagger-bill.

Size: ~5.75" — sparrow-sized.

Listen for

• Call: a nasal, honking "yank-yank-yank" — the defining nuthatch sound, once you learn it you hear it everywhere.
• Song: a rapid whistle series "whi-whi-whi-whi."

Where in Memphis

Anywhere with mature oaks or hickories. They work up-and-down tree trunks using their strong feet and no tail prop (unlike woodpeckers).

Behavior

• Jams nuts and seeds into bark crevices, then hacks them open — this is the "hatching" in "nuthatch."
• Mixed winter flocks with chickadees, titmice, Downy Woodpeckers, and kinglets.
• Cavity nesters — often use abandoned woodpecker holes.
• Rubs the nest entrance with insects and plants — possibly a chemical deterrent against squirrels.

Story

"Devil-down-head" — old Southern name for their habit of walking face-first down trees. Generations of Southern kids grew up watching them defy gravity.

Their ability to see the underside of bark that upward-facing birds miss gives them exclusive access to insect larvae and spider eggs that other species don't find.

Fun facts

• Males and females look nearly identical, but females have a slightly gray cap while males are jet black.
• They're related to Red-breasted Nuthatch (an irruptive winter visitor) and Brown-headed Nuthatch (a pine-specialist of the Deep South).
• Research showed nuthatches can eavesdrop on chickadee alarm calls and adjust behavior accordingly — cross-species threat information sharing.