are small, needle-nosed birds about the size of a chickadee, but more streamlined. Nuthatches come in two varieties in Maine: White-breasted (larger) and Red-breasted (smaller with a black eyeliner).
White-breasted Nuthatch (2010)
Red-breasted Nuthatch with Seed (2007)
Red-breasted Nuthatch (2010)
They are frequent visitors to bird feeders, with, as expected, a preference for nut-like food. In fact, their name comes from their habit of wedging nuts in the rough bark of trees, then “hatching” them out of their shells by using their pointed bills to flick them onto the ground.