“Secret Agent Man, Secret Agent Man….” I sing this to myself every time I see the White-breasted Nuthatch swoop down to land on our platform feeder. The White-breasted Nuthatch even looks like he is dressed in a tuxedo.
The White-breasted Nuthatch is a bark forager. This means that they like to hunt for insects in the bark of trees. He also likes to hide food in the bark of trees for storage. At times, you’ll also see a White-breasted Nuthatch using the bark of trees to open nuts, wedging them in and using their bills to pry the nuts open (allaboutbirds.org).
In order to do so much on trees, White-breasted Nuthatches are equipped with special feet that Burgess writes about:
“Now Old Mother Nature didn’t give me stiff tail feathers, but she gave me a very good pair of feet with three toes in front and one behind and when I was a very little fellow I learned to make the most of those feet. Each toe has a sharp claw. When I go up a tree the three front claws on each foot hook into the bark. When I come down a tree I simply twist one foot around so that I can use the claws of this foot to keep me from falling. It is just as easy for me to go down a tree as it is to go up, and I can go right around the trunk just as easily and comfortably.”
Burgess, Thornton W., The Burgess Bird Book for Children, Living Book Press, 2021, p. 201.
It’s pretty amazing how different birds are equipped with special features for their way of life. The White-breasted Nuthatch certainly needs those feet and claws in order to scale up and down trees.
Here is what we gathered for the White-breasted Nuthatch:
Until next time, keep looking debonair! <3 Kate
For more, you can find:
The Burgess Bird Book Writing & Coloring Pages
The Living Book Press link above contains an affiliate link, so I may receive a small payment if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.