The brown-headed nuthatch is a small songbird endemic to pine forests throughout the Southeastern United States. Genetic analyses indicated low differentiation between northern and southern populations in Florida, but the study also found lower genetic diversity among south Florida populations that may be a result of the increased habitat fragmentation that was documented. The Bahama nuthatch was formerly considered a subspecies (S. p. insularis), has since been reclassified as its own separate species. Two recent studies assessing vocalizations in Bahama and continental nuthatch populations found important differences. One of the studies also demonstrated that continental and Bahama populations did not respond aggressively to calls of the other population. This type of call-response study is often used to help define cryptic species.
Region
Southeastern United States
Typical Environment
Occurs from eastern Texas and Oklahoma across the Gulf States through Florida and north into the Carolinas and parts of Virginia, with strongholds in longleaf, loblolly, and shortleaf pine forests. It favors open, mature pine savannas, pine flatwoods, sandhills, and selectively thinned or burned pine stands, and also uses pine plantations when a midstory is sparse. Snags and softened dead limbs are important for nesting cavities. It generally avoids dense hardwood forests and heavily urbanized areas but may visit parks with large pines. Landscape-scale fire management sustaining open pine structure is critical to its persistence.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 800 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This tiny nuthatch is closely tied to pine ecosystems and often depends on fire-maintained longleaf pine savannas. It is one of the few birds known to use tools, sometimes prying insects from bark with flakes of pine. The Bahama nuthatch, once treated as a subspecies, is now recognized as a separate species based on vocal and behavioral differences. Providing nest boxes and conserving mature pine with standing dead trees (snags) benefit local populations.
At Ash, North Carolina
A Brown-headed Nuthatch perches on a pinecone (South Carolina, 2025).
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief undulating bouts
Social Behavior
Pairs hold year‑round territories and often engage in cooperative breeding, with helpers assisting at the nest. They excavate or enlarge cavities in dead pine stubs and will use nest boxes. Outside the breeding season they form small family groups and join mixed-species flocks with chickadees and titmice. They cache seeds and insects in bark crevices and defend core foraging areas.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A series of high, squeaky, rubber‑ducky–like notes, often given in rapid sequences. Calls include thin, nasal peeps and squeaks used to keep contact within family groups. Songs carry well through open pine stands but are relatively soft compared to larger nuthatches.
