Watercolor portrait of Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)

What does the Red-breasted Nuthatch song sound like?

Sitta canadensis
Song Common

Play the real Red-breasted Nuthatch song, the "yank-yank-yank...", and learn what to listen for.

“yank-yank-yank...”

What the Red-breasted Nuthatch song sounds like

The Red-breasted Nuthatch's vocalizations blur the line between song and call. Its primary vocalization is a series of high-pitched, nasal "yank" notes often given in a steady string – this serves as its song or long-distance call. It sounds like a tiny tin horn repeatedly honking: "yank yank yank." Males may sing a longer, more rhythmic series of these notes during breeding season.

“yank-yank-yank...”

Birders often file this one under Yank-yank song.

How to find the bird singing it

Breeds in coniferous forests (spruce, fir, pine, cedar) across Canada, the northeastern and western U.S., and higher elevations in the Appalachians and Rockies. Also uses mixed forests that include a conifer component. In winter, when irruptive, they can be found in a variety of habitats including deciduous woods, parks, and gardens (especially if conifers or feeders are present). Often attracted to pine, spruce, or fir stands, even in urban areas during invasions. They nest in cavities that they often excavate in soft wood or dead snags.

  • Rusty underparts and face pattern: Tiny, compact bird with a very short tail. Blue-gray upperparts, warm rusty-cinnamon underparts (lighter in females). Bold black stripe through the eye with a white stripe above it (giving a strong face pattern); the crown is black in males, gray in females. Throat is white. The bill is long, straight, and black, looking almost too large for such a small bird. Often seen creeping along bark, sometimes upside down. The combination of the small size, rusty belly, and eye-stripe is diagnostic. No other small tree-clinger in the East has the rusty coloration (only Brown-headed Nuthatch in the Southeast, which is brown-capped and lacks the eye stripe, and White-breasted Nuthatch which is larger with white face).

When you'll hear it

Spring

Birds that wandered south or downslope begin returning toward breeding forests. Movement varies with the previous cone crop.

Summer

Breeding birds concentrate in boreal and mountain conifer forests, foraging among spruce, fir, pine, and other cone-bearing trees.

Fall

Some years bring a broad irruption after poor northern cone crops; other falls are much quieter.

Winter

Many remain within the breeding range, while others spread into mixed woods, parks, and feeder neighborhoods well to the south.

Don’t confuse it with

Birds whose song gets mistaken for this one. Play them back to back.

White-breasted Nuthatch

Larger, with a clean white face (no black eye-line) and a black (male) or gray (female) cap.

Red-breasted Nuthatch song FAQ

What does a Red-breasted Nuthatch song sound like?
The Red-breasted Nuthatch's vocalizations blur the line between song and call. Its primary vocalization is a series of high-pitched, nasal "yank" notes often given in a steady string – this serves as its song or long-distance call. It sounds like a tiny tin horn repeatedly honking: "yank yank yank." Males may sing a longer, more rhythmic series of these notes during breeding season. Birders write it as "yank-yank-yank...".
How do I tell a Red-breasted Nuthatch from a White-breasted Nuthatch by ear?
White-breasted Nuthatch: Larger, with a clean white face (no black eye-line) and a black (male) or gray (female) cap.; Underparts are white (male) or light rust only on lower belly (female), not extensive rich orangey underparts..
When is the best time to hear the Red-breasted Nuthatch song?
During breeding season (spring/summer), pairs establish territories in conifer forests and excavate a nest cavity (often smearing sap around the entrance). They raise their young usually by early summer. By late summer, family groups may start foraging together. In the fall, if cone crops are poor, large numbers will migrate irruptively (August through November) into southern Canada and the United States far outside their breeding range. At these times, they show up at feeders and in deciduous woods in unusual abundance. In winter, they join mixed-species foraging flocks with chickadees, kinglets, and others. Come spring, irruptive individuals typically move back north (February-March), though some may stay and even attempt breeding if habitat is suitable. In their resident areas, they begin nesting as early as late April, often while snow is still melting in boreal zones.

More Red-breasted Nuthatch sounds

Red-breasted Nuthatch: the full species pageEvery sound we have, field marks, habitat and similar species.How to Learn Bird Songs by Ear: A Gentle Two-Week MethodLearning bird songs by ear sounds intimidating until you realize you already know a few — that robin in your yard, the chickadee at the feeder. Here is the gentle on-ramp: seven birds to learn first, a memory trick that works even if you cannot carry a tune, and a ten-minute-a-day rhythm that turns spring noise into named neighbors.How to Learn Bird Calls Fast: A 7-Day Spring PlanYou have seven days. You want seven birds. This is the plan: one new song per day, a mnemonic per bird, ten minutes you steal from your coffee break. Sunday-to-Sunday, you walk outside and a name lands in your head before you have time to think about it.The Dawn Chorus: Which Birds Sing First Each Morning (And Why)Every morning, as the first light touches the sky, birds like the American Robin and Northern Cardinal begin their symphony. But why do they choose dawn for their most vigorous singing?