White-breasted Nuthatch Sounds

Overview
ID info
Life History
Maps
Sounds

Song (Eastern)
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West Virginia, January 05, 1996Recorded by Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library
Song (Eastern)
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New York, April 09, 2017Recorded by Matthew D. Medler / Macaulay Library
Song (Eastern)
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Arkansas, March 24, 2006Recorded by Randolph Little / Macaulay Library
Calls (Eastern)
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New York, February 03, 2018Recorded by Brad Walker / Macaulay Library
Calls (Eastern)
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West Virginia, July 12, 2019Recorded by Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library
Calls (Eastern)
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Maryland, November 13, 1999Recorded by Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library
Calls (Eastern)
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West Virginia, January 22, 1996Recorded by Wil Hershberger / Macaulay Library
Song (Interior West)
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California, May 31, 2009Recorded by Gregory Budney / Macaulay Library
Song (Interior West)
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Arizona, May 16, 2019Recorded by Rose Ann Rowlett / Macaulay Library
Song (Interior West)
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Arizona, April 09, 2018Recorded by Dave Slager / Macaulay Library
Song (Interior West)
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California, May 31, 2009Recorded by Gregory Budney / Macaulay Library
Calls (Interior West)
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Colorado, December 02, 2012Recorded by Nathan Pieplow
Calls (Interior West)
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Colorado, September 03, 2006Recorded by Nathan Pieplow / Macaulay Library
Calls (Interior West)
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Arizona, February 23, 2010Recorded by Bob McGuire / Macaulay Library
Song (Pacific)
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California, May 20, 2018Recorded by Ed Pandolfino / Macaulay Library
Song (Pacific)
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California, April 20, 2016Recorded by Ed Pandolfino / Macaulay Library
Song (Pacific)
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California, February 08, 2018Recorded by Ed Pandolfino / Macaulay Library
Calls (Pacific)
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California, April 23, 2019Recorded by Ed Pandolfino / Macaulay Library

Sounds provided by Macaulay Library.
Listen to more sounds of this species from the ML archive.

Songs

Male White-breasted Nuthatches sing in late winter and spring, a rapid, nasal, fairly low-pitched wha-wha-wha that lasts 2-3 seconds. It’s made up of a half-dozen to a dozen nearly identical notes. Males sing these songs at two rates, with the faster version packing in twice as many notes in the same amount of time. The fast version is thought to be the main one used for mate attraction.

Calls

The White-breasted Nuthatch’s most common call is a loud, nasal yank often repeated a few times in a row. Both sexes make this call, and it often has a more trembling, almost bleating quality, than either the bird’s song or the Red-breasted Nuthatch’s call. When looking for food, males and females exchange a soft yink.