3 Nuthatches All in a Row

The Brown-headed Nuthatch is a little bird with a huge personality. They flit around the property making squeaky toy noises all day long. They always seem to be up to something or getting into somebody else's business. Lately, three of these cheery birds have been very busy excavating two holes in a dead oak. The holes are only a few feet apart, and all three are assisting in the construction. Brown-headed Nuthatches are one of the few birds known to use tools to acquire food. They often use bark to pry up bark on trees to look for morsels. We often observe them doing a behavior called allopreening. This is where one bird in the group preens another. They snuggle up on a branch and take turns preening each other. It is quite an endearing sight. These social birds have strong family ties, and a young male from last year's hatch sometimes stays around to help raise the new family. We are guessing that one of the three is a youngster from last year and will stick around to help raise a new clutch this spring. The nuthatches exude happiness and joviality, and we are fortunate and blessed to enjoy them every day.