Ontario · Year-round resident

White-breasted Nuthatchs in Ontario

When white-breasted nuthatches are present in Ontario, when they nest, which native Ontario plants feed them, and how to host them in a Canadian zones 0a–7a yard.

Photo: Rhododendrites / Wikimedia Commons

Status in Ontario: Year-round resident
Nesting window: April–June
Broods: 1 per season
Hardiness zones: Canadian zones 0a–7a (southern Ontario roughly equivalent to USDA 4–6)
Nest box: 1 1/4 in round hole, 4 × 4 in floor, 5–20 ft

When to expect white-breasted nuthatches in Ontario

White-breasted Nuthatchs live in Ontario all year. Cold, snowy winters; feeder flocks are dominated by chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches. 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 in the south, boreal and subarctic in the north; most backyard birding happens in the southern Great Lakes lowlands.

Nesting in Ontario

Across Ontario, 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.

Short, warm summers; Point Pelee and Long Point are continent-famous migration sites.

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.

Native Ontario plants that attract white-breasted nuthatches

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

Sugar maple

Acer saccharum · Tree

Insects, seeds and cavities.

Oaks

Quercus spp. · Tree

Acorns in the south.

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida · Tree

Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea · Tree

Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.

White oak

Quercus alba · Tree

Acorns plus hundreds of caterpillar species for nestling food.

Bur oak

Quercus macrocarpa · Tree

Drought-hardy prairie oak with large acorns and a heavy insect load.

Black cherry

Prunus serotina · Tree

Summer fruit and one of the top caterpillar host trees.

American elderberry

Sambucus canadensis · Shrub

Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.

Feeding white-breasted nuthatches through the Ontario year

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 Ontario's winter: Cold, snowy winters; feeder flocks are dominated by chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches.

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

Frequently asked

Are white-breasted nuthatches in Ontario year-round?

Yes. White-breasted Nuthatchs are year-round residents in Ontario.

When do white-breasted nuthatches nest in Ontario?

Nesting in Ontario typically runs April–June, with 1 per season. Clutches are 5–9 eggs, incubated for 13–14 days.

What native plants attract white-breasted nuthatches in Ontario?

Sugar maple, Oaks, Flowering dogwood, Serviceberry, White oak, Bur oak, Black cherry, American elderberry are native plants in Ontario that provide food or cover for white-breasted nuthatches.

What size birdhouse hole do white-breasted nuthatches need?

1 1/4 in round, with a floor of 4 × 4 in mounted 5–20 ft.

Other backyard birds in Ontario

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Black-capped Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Common Redpoll Indigo Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Canada Jay

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.