How to Attract Nuthatches to Your Feeder
Nuthatches are the birds that walk head-first down tree trunks. The white-breasted nuthatch lives year-round across most of the US, and the smaller red-breasted nuthatch shows up in some winters.
What nuthatches eat
Suet, black-oil sunflower and shelled peanuts are their favorites. Their name comes from wedging seeds into bark and hacking them open with their beaks.
High-fat suet cakes that fit standard suet cages. Woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees rely on fat like this to get through cold nights.
Check price on Amazon for C&S Hi-Energy Suet Cakes (opens Amazon)If you only buy one seed, make it black-oil sunflower. It's high in fat, has a thin shell small birds can open, and nearly every seed-eating bird loves it.
Check price on Amazon for Wagner's Black Oil Sunflower Seed (opens Amazon)The feeders nuthatches like
Nuthatches cling easily, so suet cages, upside-down suet feeders and tube feeders all suit them. A suet feeder on a tree trunk feels especially natural to them.
Woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees happily hang upside down to eat. Starlings and grackles mostly don't, so the suet goes to the birds you want.
Check price on Amazon for Birds Choice Upside-Down Suet Feeder (opens Amazon)The most entertaining answer to squirrels. When one grabs the perch ring, a small motor spins it gently off. Birds are too light to trigger it.
Check price on Amazon for Droll Yankees Yankee Flipper (opens Amazon)Keep mature trees
Nuthatches forage on bark, so yards with big trees attract them most. They nest in old woodpecker holes and natural cavities, and occasionally in nest boxes.
Winter flocks
In winter they join chickadees and titmice in mixed flocks. If you already have chickadees, nuthatches are usually close behind.
Frequently asked questions
Why do nuthatches go down trees head-first?
It lets them spot insects and seeds tucked into bark that birds climbing upward miss.
What's the difference between white-breasted and red-breasted nuthatches?
White-breasted are larger with white faces. Red-breasted are smaller, with a black eye stripe and rusty underside.
Do nuthatches use birdhouses?
Sometimes, but less often than chickadees. Old trees with cavities are more important.
Not sure which feeder fits your yard?
Answer three quick questions and we'll match you with the right setup.