Creature Feature: Brown-Headed Nuthatch

Bring Back the Birds!

In 2020, biologists caught brown-headed nuthatches in Arkansas and released them into pine forests in Missouri’s Ozarks. The birds had been absent for over 100 years.

Itty-Bitty Bird

From the tip of its beak to the end of its tail, a brown-headed nuthatch is just 4 inches long and weighs only as much as two U.S. nickels.

Seed Stasher

Nuthatches often store pine seeds to snack on later, hiding them under a loose piece of bark or in a tree cavity.

Squeaky Beaks

Brown-headed nuthatches call to each other with wheezy squeaks that sound like a rubber ducky being squeezed.

Cool Tools

Brown-headed nuthatches sometimes use wood chips like crowbars, prying up bark to expose yummy insects underneath.