Brown-headed Nuthatch in May
Where brown-headed nuthatches are in May, whether they are nesting, and the best foods to offer right now.
May in the Brown-headed Nuthatch's year
May is the peak of the birding year. Migration floods the North, dawn chorus is at its loudest, and nesting is underway across most of the continent. By month's end the first broods of the year are hatching in mid-latitudes.
For the Brown-headed Nuthatch specifically, May is a spring month inside the nesting season — one of the most active and demanding periods of this bird's year. Across the 14 states and provinces where brown-headed nuthatches occur, what the bird is doing this month depends heavily on latitude — the details below break it down by band.
Where brown-headed nuthatches are in May
- Southern states
- absent
- Mid-latitudes
- year-round resident
- Northern states & Canada
- absent
In May, brown-headed nuthatches are absent in the South, year-round resident across the mid-latitudes, and absent in the northern states and Canada. That north–south split is the defining feature of this month: where you live changes which version of this bird you're looking at.
Nesting in May
May is inside the Brown-headed Nuthatch nesting season — about a month earlier in the South and a month later in the North. Nest: excavated cavity in dead pine snags; nest boxes. Clutch 3–7 eggs, incubation 13–15 days, 1 per season.
The southern nesting season has already wound down, but northern pairs are still raising young — the whole season shifts later as you go north. During the nesting months, adults switch to protein-rich foods for their young, become more secretive around the nest site, and often visit feeders in quick, purposeful trips rather than lingering.
What to feed in May
- Bark insects and spiders
Travels in family groups through pine woods; readily uses small nest boxes in pine yards.
Adults feeding nestlings need easy calories. Some species that ignored feeders all winter now visit regularly, and you may see fledglings brought to feeders by their parents.
Full Brown-headed Nuthatch diet guide → · Best feeder for brown-headed nuthatches →
Watching brown-headed nuthatches this month
In May, the best watching is around food rather than the nest — adults make repeated foraging trips and are most visible at dawn and dusk. Give nesting birds space: if a bird is carrying food or scolding you persistently, you're close to a nest and should back off.
If you have a Brown-headed Nuthatch box up, watch from a distance for comings and goings — steady traffic means an active nest — the box guide below has the exact hole size and mounting height this species needs.
Brown-headed Nuthatch month by month
Brown-headed Nuthatch by state
Frequently asked
Where are brown-headed nuthatches in May?
In May, brown-headed nuthatches are absent in the South, year-round resident across mid-latitudes and absent in the North.
Do brown-headed nuthatches nest in May?
Yes — May falls inside the Brown-headed Nuthatch nesting season at mid-latitudes (a month earlier in the South).
What do brown-headed nuthatches eat in May?
Bark insects and spiders.
Sources
- Brown-headed Nuthatch — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Brown-headed Nuthatch life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Brown-headed Nuthatch — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- 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.