Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch has surged: up 664% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Red-breasted Nuthatch
The Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) is a North American member of the Nuthatches (Sittidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the forest birds.
- Size
- 4–7 in long (10–18 cm) — a small tree-climbing songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders gleaned from foliage and bark, with seeds and berries in season.
- Range
- Recorded on 1,296 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 37 states, most concentrated in the Atlantic Northern Forest.
- Family
- Sittidae · Forest birds
Notable Red-breasted Nuthatch Trends
Red-breasted Nuthatch has surged in surveyed states: up 664% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Red-breasted Nuthatch Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Red-breasted Nuthatch is projected to rise about 44% by 2029 — from 1.1 in 2024 to a central estimate of 1.6 (95% range 1.2–2.0). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±36.8%, with 60% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 1.9 |
| 2026 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 2.0 |
| 2027 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 2.0 |
| 2028 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 2.0 |
| 2029 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 2.0 |
Where the Red-breasted Nuthatch Is Detected
BBS routes recording Red-breasted Nuthatch, sized by most recent count.
Red-breasted Nuthatch Population Trend by State
| Alaska | +801% | 1991 | 44 |
| Arizona | +204% | 1975 | 23 |
| California | +347% | 1970 | 137 |
| Colorado | +440% | 1971 | 73 |
| Connecticut | -59% | 1974 | 13 |
| Idaho | +448% | 1972 | 41 |
| Illinois | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Indiana | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Kansas | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Maine | +111% | 1968 | 78 |
| Maryland | insufficient data | n/a | 6 |
| Massachusetts | +364% | 1969 | 30 |
| Michigan | 33× | 1968 | 75 |
| Minnesota | 19× | 1969 | 44 |
| Montana | +625% | 1970 | 63 |
| Nebraska | +51% | 1987 | 7 |
| Nevada | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| New Hampshire | +146% | 1968 | 26 |
| New Jersey | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| New Mexico | -48% | 1981 | 20 |
| New York | +376% | 1968 | 101 |
| North Carolina | +209% | 1980 | 12 |
| North Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Ohio | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| Oregon | -23% | 1970 | 108 |
| Pennsylvania | +269% | 1974 | 56 |
| Rhode Island | insufficient data | n/a | 4 |
| South Carolina | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| South Dakota | +776% | 1969 | 15 |
| Tennessee | +285% | 1990 | 5 |
| Utah | +167% | 1976 | 38 |
| Vermont | +568% | 1968 | 25 |
| Virginia | +428% | 2000 | 7 |
| Washington | +115% | 1970 | 90 |
| West Virginia | +800% | 1980 | 15 |
| Wisconsin | 15× | 1968 | 70 |
| Wyoming | +94% | 1970 | 50 |
Red-breasted Nuthatch Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| BCR 2 | +85% | 1993 | 4 |
| BCR 4 | +587% | 1994 | 23 |
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | +16% | 1970 | 141 |
| Great Basin | +22% | 1970 | 107 |
| Northern Rockies | +133% | 1970 | 147 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | 14× | 1968 | 123 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | +450% | 1970 | 49 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | +234% | 1968 | 155 |
| Sierra Nevada | +61% | 1970 | 39 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | +482% | 1971 | 133 |
| Badlands and Prairies | +392% | 1969 | 45 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | -78% | 1986 | 5 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | +272% | 1970 | 64 |
| Appalachian Mountains | 14× | 1969 | 132 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | +143% | 1968 | 48 |
| Coastal California | +55% | 1972 | 42 |
| Sierra Madre Occidental | -24% | 1976 | 19 |
| Chihuahuan Desert | -72% | 1987 | 3 |
Red-breasted Nuthatch Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 664% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.