Taxonomy/Description

Of the two species of the Nuthatch family, Sittidae, found in Western New York, the Red-breasted Nuthatch and the White-breasted Nuthatch, the Red-breasted is distinguished from the White-breasted by its smaller size, black crown and eye line with a white supercilium, and red under parts. Although the White-breasted also has some rusty markings underneath it, the red is much more apparent in the Red-breasted.
 
Habitat/Diet

The Red-breasted Nuthatch is found year round in coniferous forests from the Pacific Coast of British Columbia to the Atlantic Coast of Nova Scotia, extending southward into the mountains of the American Southwest and the southern Appalachians in the East.
Insects and spiders are the main foods in the summer. During winter, Red-breasted Nuthatches eat many insects that they pry from food caches in bark crevices, but they also eat many seeds.

Behavior/Reproduction

The Red-breasted Nuthatch forges for food by probing crevices in tree bark. It climbs down tree trunks headfirst looking for food and will store food for later use under bark, in holes, and in ground.

This nuthatch builds its nests in cavities in trees and branches. The nest cavities filled with grasses, bark strips, and pine needles and lined with fur, feathers, fine grass, and shredded bark. Both the male and female members of the pair create the nest hole, and the female builds the nest inside. .

Where to see them in WNY