The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a small, energetic songbird that occurs in Arizona primarily during fall and winter, when individuals move southward from their breeding grounds in the northern forests and higher elevations of the Rocky Mountains. In some years, particularly during irruption events when food supplies fail farther north, these birds can appear in large numbers across the state, even in lowland desert areas where they are not typically found.
They are most often seen in coniferous forests of the “Sky Islands” in southeastern Arizona, especially in ponderosa pine and mixed spruce-fir habitats, where they forage busily along trunks and branches, often moving headfirst down tree bark in search of insects and seeds. Measuring about 4.5 inches (11 cm) in length and weighing around 9–10 grams, the Red-breasted Nuthatch is distinguished by its bold black eye stripe, bluish-gray upperparts, rufous underparts, and nasal, tooting calls.
