Brown-headed Nuthatch Similar Species Comparison

Main SpeciesBrown-headed Nuthatch

Tiny, compact nuthatch with a chisel-like bill. Note brown cap, blue-gray back, and whitish underparts.

Tiny and compact with a short tail and a sharp bill. Note brown cap, blue-gray upperparts, and whitish underparts.

A tiny songbird with a short tail and chisel-like bill. Zigzags up and down tree trunks and branches in search of insect prey.

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Zigzags up and down tree trunks and branches high in the canopy, squeaking like a rubber duck as it goes.

A vocal species that frequently gives squeaky notes that sound like a toy rubber ducky being squeezed.

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Feeds mostly on insects in the warmer months and pine nuts in colder months, but also visits backyard feeding stations.

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Found in pine forests of the southeastern United States, especially in mature forests with an open understory.

Pygmy Nuthatches are slightly smaller than Brown-headed Nuthatches and look very similar, but their ranges do not overlap.

Red-breasted Nuthatches have a white eyebrow stripe and a black stripe through the eye unlike the Brown-headed Nuthatch's solid brown cap.

White-breasted Nuthatches are larger than Brown-headed Nuthatches. They have a white face and a black, not brown, crown.

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