Brown-headed Nuthatch Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesBrown-headed Nuthatch
Adult
Tiny, compact nuthatch with a chisel-like bill. Note brown cap, blue-gray back, and whitish underparts.
© Kojo Baidoo / Macaulay LibraryMaryland, January 13, 2021Adult
Tiny and compact with a short tail and a sharp bill. Note brown cap, blue-gray upperparts, and whitish underparts.
© David Hollie / Macaulay LibraryGeorgia, January 10, 2011Adult
Zigzags up and down tree trunks and branches high in the canopy, squeaking like a rubber duck as it goes.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryMaryland, November 15, 2009Adults/immatures
© Gregory Griffith / Macaulay LibraryArkansas, April 01, 1996Habitat
Found in pine forests of the southeastern United States, especially in mature forests with an open understory.
© Robert Ostrowski / Macaulay LibraryMaryland, January 29, 2012Similar SpeciesPygmy Nuthatch
Adult
Pygmy Nuthatches are slightly smaller than Brown-headed Nuthatches and look very similar, but their ranges do not overlap.
© Gordon Karre / Macaulay LibraryWashington, March 13, 2017Similar SpeciesRed-breasted Nuthatch
Adult
Red-breasted Nuthatches have a white eyebrow stripe and a black stripe through the eye unlike the Brown-headed Nuthatch's solid brown cap.
© Scott Martin / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, February 03, 2017Similar SpeciesWhite-breasted Nuthatch
Adult
White-breasted Nuthatches are larger than Brown-headed Nuthatches. They have a white face and a black, not brown, crown.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, February 22, 2011Compare with Similar Species
Click on an image to compare
Species in This Family
Nuthatches(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Sittidae)
More to Read
Don't miss a thing! Join our email list
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.