White-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta carolinensis

White-breasted Nuthatches are familiar, permanent residents in Missouri. One study reported an individual spent an entire year within its territory of 10-20 hectares (Terres 1987). Their "yank-yank" call can be heard in most woodlots and large forests. They nest in old woodpecker holes and other cavities (Ehrlich et al. 1988).

Code Frequency

White-breasted Nuthatches are reasonably easy to detect, and Atlasers presumably recorded them in most blocks where they occurred. Most confirmations were based on fledglings and observation of food being carried to young. As finding nest cavities was fairly time consuming and difficult, only three nests with young and no nests with Eggs: were reported.

Distribution

Except for its relative absence in the Mississippi Lowlands, this was one of the most continuously-distributed breeding birds. It was

Reported in a few blocks in the Mississippi Lowlands in forests along the St. Francis and Mississippi rivers and in the Ben Cash and Donaldson Point conservation areas. Elsewhere in the state, it was distributed through regions with varied landscapes indicating its tolerance of a broad range of habitat.

Average Number of Birds / 100 stops

Abundance

Phenology

Atlasers observed fledglings mainly from May 15 through August 22. Graphing the sightings of fledglings produced a normal curve from mid-May to mid-August. There were likely several broods involved.

Notes

White-breasted Nuthatches are considered a rare host of Brown-headed Cowbirds by Ehrlich et al. (1988).

Breeding Evidence

Reported in 1,026 (85.0%) of 1,207 blocks

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