Red-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta canadensis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilySittidae (Nuthatches)
- GenusSitta (Nuthatches)
- SpeciesSitta canadensis (Red-breasted Nuthatch)
The red-breasted nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) is a small songbird. The adult has blue-grey upperparts with cinnamon underparts, a white throat and face with a black stripe through the eyes, a straight grey bill and a black crown. Its call, which has been likened to a tin trumpet, is high-pitched and nasal. It breeds in coniferous forests across Canada, Alaska and the northeastern and western United States. Though often a permanent resident, it regularly irrupts further south if its food supply fails. There are records of vagrants occurring as far south as the Gulf Coast and northern Mexico. Wikipedia →
20–30% of wildlife watchers report a Red-breasted Nuthatch sighting in Yellowstone National Park, based on 897 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Yellowstone National Park
White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis
Pygmy Nuthatch
Sitta pygmaea
Common Raven
Corvus corax
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata
Mountain Chickadee
Poecile gambeli
Chipping Sparrow
Spizella passerina
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula
Clark's Nutcracker
Nucifraga columbiana
Mountain Bluebird
Sialia currucoides
Violet-green Swallow
Tachycineta thalassina
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Red-breasted Nuthatch in Yellowstone National Park?
About 24% of wildlife watchers report a Red-breasted Nuthatch sighting in Yellowstone National Park, based on 897 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Red-breasted Nuthatch in Yellowstone National Park?
October has the highest sighting rate for Red-breasted Nuthatch in Yellowstone National Park in our monthly data.