Red-breasted nuthatch



We have been inundated with red-breasted nuthatches this year. Here there are 6 of them in the water at the same time.

We have seen up to 11 at a time.

Unfortunately they are aggressive to other birds coming in for water. They take on everything from warblers to mourning doves.

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, September 6, 2025. 

Sitta canadensis

During nest building, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is aggressive, chasing away other hole-nesting birds such as the House Wren, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Downy Woodpecker. A particularly feisty nuthatch may go after Yellow-rumped Warblers, House Finches, Violet-Green Swallows, and Cordilleran Flycatchers.

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