White-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch has surged: up 170% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the White-breasted Nuthatch
A stocky, blue-gray bird that creeps headfirst down tree trunks, the White-breasted Nuthatch is a common resident of mature woods and shaded yards.
- Size
- 5–5.5 in long, about 0.7 oz (13–14 cm, 21 g)
- Habitat
- Woodlands and forest edges, including wooded suburbs and parks.
- Diet
- Insects and spiders from bark crevices, plus seeds and nuts it wedges and hammers open.
- Range
- Recorded on 2,664 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 48 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Sittidae · Forest birds
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Notable White-breasted Nuthatch TrendsNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →
White-breasted Nuthatch has surged in surveyed states: up 170% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
White-breasted Nuthatch Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, White-breasted Nuthatch is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 2.1 (95% range 1.8–2.5). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±5%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
Where the White-breasted Nuthatch Is Detected
BBS routes recording White-breasted Nuthatch, sized by most recent count.
White-breasted Nuthatch Population Trend by State
White-breasted Nuthatch Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
White-breasted Nuthatch Conservation Status
Least Concern
The IUCN Red List rates this species as Least Concern. Our route-weighted index shows it up about 170% 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.