White-breasted Nuthatchs in Michigan

White-breasted Nuthatchs live in Michigan all year. Lake-effect snow and long cold spells; Purple Finches breed in the north and winter farther south. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward acorns, hickory nuts and seeds; sunflower, peanuts and suet at feeders.

Humid continental, strongly shaped by the Great Lakes; colder and snowier in the Upper Peninsula.

Across Michigan, white-breasted nuthatches typically nest from April–June. Nest site: natural cavities in large trees; occasionally nest boxes. Females lay 5–9 eggs, incubate for 13–14 days, and young leave the nest after 18–26 days.

A compressed nesting season; bluebirds usually manage one or two broods.

• Have boxes cleaned and mounted before March — white-breasted nuthatches begin prospecting ahead of egg-laying.
• Use a 1 1/4 in round entrance on a 4 × 4 in floor, mounted 5–20 ft.
• Fit a pole baffle or hole guard; ventilation gaps and drainage holes are essential.
• Clean out old nests after each brood and again after June.

Of the regional native plants we track for Michigan, these 8 provide food or cover white-breasted nuthatches use:

Nuthatches grab a seed, fly to a crevice, and hammer it open — so feeders near mature, rough-barked trees get more visits.

• Best foods: Black-oil sunflower, Shelled peanuts, Suet.
• In Michigan's winter: Lake-effect snow and long cold spells; Purple Finches breed in the north and winter farther south.

Full diet breakdown for white-breasted nuthatches · Best feeder for white-breasted nuthatches