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Brown-headed Nuthatch

Brown-headed Nuthatch

Sitta pusilla

Audubon Illustration

Audubon illustration of Brown-headed Nuthatch

John James Audubon, Birds of America (1827-1838). Public domain.

Range & Recent Observations

Brown-headed Nuthatchis a year-round resident and doesn't follow a migration flyway. See the Range tab for where it lives.

Last Spotted Near You

View on eBirdWikipedia

About the Brown-headed Nuthatch

The brown-headed nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) is a small songbird endemic to pine forests throughout the Southeastern United States. Genetic analyses indicated low differentiation between northern and southern populations in Florida, but the study also found lower genetic diversity among south Florida populations that may be a result of the increased habitat fragmentation that was documented. The Bahama nuthatch was formerly considered a subspecies (S. p. insularis), but has since been reclassified as its own separate species. Two recent studies assessing vocalizations in Bahama and continental nuthatch populations found important differences. One of the studies also demonstrated that continental and Bahama populations did not respond aggressively to calls of the other population.

Source: Wikipedia

Classification

Scientific name
Sitta pusilla
Family
Nuthatches
Order
Passeriformes

Similar species

Other members of the nuthatches family recorded in North America — a useful place to start if you are not certain of your identification.

  • Pygmy Nuthatch Sitta pygmaea
  • Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis
  • White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis

Know when the Brown-headed Nuthatch turns up near you

Add it to your watchlist and draw an alert zone around the places you actually bird. Birdr checks eBird reports and tells you when one is seen inside it.

How rare bird alerts work →

Gear for spotting Brown-headed Nuthatch

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