White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis
Summary 6
The White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) is a small songbird of the nuthatch family which breeds in old-growth woodland across much of temperate North America. It is a stocky bird, with a large head, short tail, powerful bill and strong feet. The upperparts are pale blue-gray, and the face and underparts are white. It has a black cap and a chestnut lower belly. The nine subspecies differ mainly in the color of the body plumage.
Distribution 7
Global Range: Resident from Washington and southern British Columbia to southern Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, south to Baja California, southeastern Arizona, southern Mexican highlands, Gulf Coast, and northern Florida; absent from most of Great Plains.
Morphology 8
The long bills of white-breasted nuthatches distinguish them from other nuthatches. Their bills are nearly as long as their heads and are slightly upturned. White-breasted nuthatches have black crowns on their heads, with white cheeks and white undersides. Their undersides have a slightly rosy region towards the tail. A nuthatch's back is a bluish-gray. Their wings and tails are a mixture of white, black, and bluish-gray. Males tend to be slightly more vivdly colored than females, with the dark parts of their plumage being very dark and contrasting with their light plumage. Females tend to be somewhat more gray overall. Very little research has been done on these birds but it is known that they weigh on average 20 g and are about 15 cm long.
Average mass: 20 g.
Average length: 15 cm.
Sexual Dimorphism: male more colorful
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Average mass: 20.5 g.
Sierra juarez and san pedro martir pine oak forests habitat 9
This taxon can be found in the Sierra Juarez and San Pedro Martir pine-oak forests. The ecoregion is located in two mountain ranges in the state of Baja California, Mexico: the Sierra de Juarez and the Sierra de San Pedro Martir. Both mountain ranges belong to the physiographical province of Baja California, and constitute the northernmost elevated peaks of the Baja Peninsula. The mountainous range that descends into a large portion of Baja California becomes more abrupt at Juarez and San Pedro Martir; the eastern slope is steeper than the western. Altitudes range between 1100-2800 meters. The granitic mountains of Juarez and San Pedro Martir have young rocky soils and are poorly developed, shallow, and low in organic matter.
Dominant trees in the ecoregion are: Pinus quadrifolia, P. jeffreyi, P. contorta, P. lambertiana, Abies concolor, and Libocedrus decurren. The herbaceous stratum is formed by Bromus sp. and Artemisia tridentata. Epiphytes and fungi are abundant throughout the forests.
Characteristic mammals of the ecoregion include: Ornate shrew (Sorex ornatus), Puma (Puma concolor), Fringed Myotis bat (Myotis thysanodes), California chipmunk (Tamias obscurus), Bobcat (Lynx rufus), Coyote (Canis latrans), San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis) and Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis).
Numerous birds are present in the ecoregion, including the rare Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), California condor (Gymnogyps californianus), Pinyon jay (Gymnohinus cyanocephalus), and White-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis).
A number of different reptilian taxa are found in these oak-pine forests; representative reptiles here are: the Banded rock lizard (Petrosaurus mearnsi); Common checkered whiptail (Cnemidophorus tesselatus), who is found in sparsely vegetated areas; Coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum), often found in locales of sandy soil, where individuals may burrow to escape surface heat; Night desert lizard (Xantusia vigilis), who is often found among bases of yucca, agaves and cacti; and the Baja California spiny lizard (Sceloporus zosteromus).
The Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla) is an anuran found within the Sierra Juarez and San Pedro Martir pine-oak forests as one of its western North America ecoregions of occurrence. The only other amphibian in the ecoregion is the Western toad (Anaxyrus boreas).
Migration 10
Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.
Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).
Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.
May retreat in winter from northernmost range and higher elevations (NGS 1983).
Sources and Credits
- (c) Brian Peterson, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/92824172@N00/2388338509
- (c) Rob Curtis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Rob Curtis
- (c) Royal Tyler, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by Royal Tyler
- (c) Don Loarie, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7164/6705970751_5502ece95b_b.jpg
- (c) Don Loarie, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7141/6705968403_e1274576b3_b.jpg
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitta_carolinensis
- (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28814938
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/31422697
- (c) World Wildlife Fund & C. Michael Hogan, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29264711
- (c) NatureServe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/28814944
