CreatureData

White-breasted nuthatch

Sitta carolinensis Latham, 1790

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) is a species in the family Sittidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 19.7 g to 21.1 g and live up to 9.83 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

White-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)
Photo: Rhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the white-breasted nuthatch

Weight
19.7 g – 21.1 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
9.83 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
9.83 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
12 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
6.7 – 8src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the white-breasted nuthatch live?

Not recorded

What is the white-breasted nuthatch?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) is a species of bird in the nuthatch family Sittidae. It is a medium-sized nuthatch, measuring approximately 15.5 cm (6.1 in) in length. Coloration varies somewhat along the species' range, but the upperparts are light blue-gray, with a black crown and nape in males, while females have a dark gray crown. The underparts are whitish, with a reddish tinge on the lower abdomen. Despite not being closely related, the white-breasted nuthatch and the white wagtail are very similar in plumage.

The white-breasted nuthatch is a chatty bird. It has a nasal voice and often utters little cries or vocalizations, often composed of repetitions of small invariant whistles. In summer, it is an exclusively insectivorous bird, consuming a wide range of arthropods, but in winter its diet consists mainly of seeds. The nest is located in the cavity of a tree. The clutch consists of five to nine eggs, incubated for two weeks by the female, who is fed by the male. The two adults then feed the young until they fledge, and for a few weeks after that.

The white-breasted nuthatch breeds throughout much of North America, except in the cooler and drier areas. It is mainly found at low elevations, in deciduous forests or in mixed woodlands. Seven to nine subspecies are generally distinguished by their slightly distinct distributions, vocalizations, and coloration. The species was once thought to be related to the white-cheeked nuthatch (S leucopsis) and Przewalski's nuthatch (S. przewalskii), two species from southern Asia, but is actually more closely related to the giant nuthatch (S. magna), also from Southeast Asia.

From the Wikipedia article “White-breasted nuthatch” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White-breasted_nuthatch&oldid=1384972273), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the white-breasted nuthatch endangered?

The white-breasted nuthatch is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the white-breasted nuthatch classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familySittidae
  6. genusSitta
  7. SpeciesSitta carolinensis Latham, 1790

Synonyms Sitta atricapilla

Other names and names in other languages (50)
  • Devil DownheadEnglish
  • White-breasted black-capped nuthatchEnglish
  • Белогръда зидаркаBulgarian
  • pica-soques pitblancCatalan
  • Pica-soques de pit blancCatalan
  • ᏗᏪᏓᎶᎯCherokee
  • brhlík běloprsýCzech
  • delor cnau bronwynWelsh
  • Hvidbrystet SpætmejseDanish
  • CarolinakleiberGerman
  • Carolina-KleiberGerman
  • WeißbrustkleiberGerman
  • Karolina sitoEsperanto
  • blankbrusta sitoEsperanto
  • Bajapalos enanoSpanish
  • Bajapalos Pecho BlancoSpanish
  • Sita pecho blancoSpanish
  • Trepador pechiblancoSpanish
  • valgepõsk-puukoristajaEstonian
  • کمرکولی کارولیناPersian
  • amerikannakkeliFinnish
  • Sittelle à poitrine blancheFrench
  • Scoltan cleeau-vaneScottish Gaelic
  • bjeloprsi brgljezCroatian
  • barátcsuszkaHungarian
  • Picchio muratore pettobiancoItalian
  • ムナジロゴジュウカラJapanese
  • ムナジロゴジュウガラJapanese
  • karolininis bukutisLithuanian
  • baltkrūšu dzilnītisLatvian
  • Chį́į́shghą́ʼiiłgaiiNavajo
  • WitborstboomkleverDutch
  • hvitbrystspettmeisNorwegian
  • biipiigenhOjibwa
  • ZhaagashkaandawensOjibwa
  • kowalik karolińskiPolish
  • trepadeira-brancaPortuguese
  • trepadeira-de-peito-brancoPortuguese
  • Каролинский поползеньRussian
  • Degëödë́öhö’Seneca
  • brhlík bieloprsýSlovak
  • Belogrudi američki brgljezSerbian
  • vitbröstad nötväckaSwedish
  • Beyaz Göğüslü SıvacıTurkish
  • Ak göğüslü sıvacı kuşuTurkish
  • Повзик білогрудийUkrainian
  • повзик каролінськийUkrainian
  • Trèo cây ngực trắngVietnamese
  • 白胸䴓Chinese
  • 白胸鳾Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the white-breasted nuthatch

Other species in the same genus Sitta.

CompareWhite-breasted nuthatch vs Eurasian nuthatchWhite-breasted nuthatch vs Western rock nuthatchWhite-breasted nuthatch vs Velvet-fronted nuthatchWhite-breasted nuthatch vs Eastern rock nuthatch

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the white-breasted nuthatch?

An adult white-breasted nuthatch weighs 19.7 g – 21.1 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the white-breasted nuthatch endangered?

The white-breasted nuthatch is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the white-breasted nuthatch live?

The white-breasted nuthatch has a recorded lifespan of 9.83 years.

What kind of animal is the white-breasted nuthatch?

The white-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) belongs to the family Sittidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). White-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-breasted-nuthatch

MLA

“White-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-breasted-nuthatch.

BibTeX
@misc{white_breasted_nuthatch_2026,
  title = {White-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-breasted-nuthatch},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}