Perch Supply
Diet

What do brown-headed nuthatches eat?

Pine seeds and bark insects; one of few tool-using birds, prying bark with a flake.

Nuthatches (Sittidae)Brown-headed NuthatchSitta pusilla

Spring and summer diet

  • Bark insects and spiders

Fall and winter diet

  • Loblolly and longleaf pine seeds

Best feeder foods

  • Black-oil sunflower
  • Suet

Travels in family groups through pine woods; readily uses small nest boxes in pine yards.

Which feeder works best for brown-headed nuthatches →

Where brown-headed nuthatches need winter food

Regions where brown-headed nuthatches are present in the cold months:

AlabamaArkansasDelawareFloridaGeorgiaLouisianaMarylandMississippiNorth CarolinaOklahomaSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasVirginia

Frequently asked

What do brown-headed nuthatches eat?

Pine seeds and bark insects; one of few tool-using birds, prying bark with a flake.

What is the best food to feed brown-headed nuthatches?

Black-oil sunflower, Suet.

What do brown-headed nuthatches eat in winter?

Loblolly and longleaf pine seeds.

Sources

  1. Brown-headed Nuthatch — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  2. Brown-headed Nuthatch life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  3. Brown-headed Nuthatch — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
  4. NestWatch nest box plans and species requirements — Cornell Lab

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.