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Nuthatches Sweeping the Nest
These little birds know how to defend their nests!
© Jon Cox
White-breasted Nuthatches aren’t the toughest birds on the block — but when it comes to their nests, they know how to put up defenses. Squirrels could easily duck inside a nest cavity and gobble up the eggs. That’s why you might see nuthatches sweeping around their nest hole with a beetle or other insect. It’s thought that chemical compounds from the insect smell bad to squirrels, driving them away. And if that doesn’t work, nuthatches try to make themselves look as big as possible.
BirdNote®
Nuthatches Sweeping the Nest
Written by Conor Gearin
This is BirdNote.
White-breasted Nuthatches aren’t the toughest birds on the block. They’re petite songbirds that walk upside down on tree trunks looking for food, and their song sounds a bit like laughter.
[White-breasted Nuthatch song, ML 105478841]
But when it comes to their nests, nuthatches know how to put up defenses. Squirrels could easily duck inside a nest cavity and gobble up the eggs. That’s why you might see nuthatches sweeping around their nest hole with a beetle or other insect. It’s thought that chemical compounds from the insect smell bad to squirrels, driving them away.
[White-breasted Nuthatch calls, ML 167899911, 0:16-0:19]
Nuthatches also might tuck other odorous items in their nest, like a cigarette filter, that smell unappetizing to would-be predators. But if a squirrel ignores the stink and approaches anyway, White-breasted Nuthatches have one more card to play.
[White-breasted Nuthatch calls, ML 107225, 0:07-0:09]
They’ll stretch out their wings to look as big as possible, and sway back and forth threateningly.
[White-breasted Nuthatch calls, ML 107225, 0:14-0:17]
They might be small, but nuthatches have the wits and the courage to stop squirrels in their tracks.
For BirdNote, I’m Ariana Remmel.
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. White-breasted Nuthatch ML 105478841 recorded by M.D. Medler, and White-breasted Nuthatch ML 167899911 and ML 107225 recorded by W. Hershberger.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2022 BirdNote September 2022 November 2024
Narrator: Ariana Remmel
ID# WBNU-01-2022-MM-DD WBNU-01
References
https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/whbnut/cur/introduction
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/white-breasted-nuthatch
https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v085n03/p0477-p04…
Conor Gearin
Writer
Ariana Remmel
NarratorSights & Sounds
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