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BirdsIn Ohio

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta canadensis Linnaeus, 1766

Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)
(c) Erika Mitchell, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Erika Mitchell · CC BY-NC 4.0 (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Sittidae
Genus
Sitta

Conservation status

Of special interest in Ohio (Ohio Division of Wildlife, June 2026)

Ohio's Division of Wildlife names it as one at the edge of its range in Ohio, breeding here at low numbers. It is not listed as endangered or threatened.

We remember your county on this device only, until you clear it. Your ZIP code, city or location never leaves your device.

Range

Where it is recorded

Season shown in 0 of Ohio's 88 counties. Its mapped range covers 88. Explore Ohio

  • No result yet (0)
  • Within its mapped range (40)
  • Recorded, too few records for a result (43)
  • Recorded, season not shown (5)
  • Season shown (0)
Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files, 1:500,000. Range: USGS Gap Analysis Project, Species Range Maps CONUS_2001 (2018). Show as a table
Counties as a table
Red-breasted Nuthatch by Ohio county: records and mapped range
CountyRecordsIn mapped range
Adams CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Allen CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Ashland CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Ashtabula CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round
Athens CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Auglaize CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Belmont CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Brown CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Butler CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Carroll CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: year-round, winter
Champaign CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Clark CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Clermont CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Clinton CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Columbiana CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: year-round
Coshocton CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Crawford CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Cuyahoga County134 · Recorded, season not shownYes: year-round
Darke CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Defiance CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Delaware CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Erie CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round
Fairfield CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Fayette CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Franklin County25 · Recorded, season not shownYes: winter
Fulton CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Gallia CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Geauga CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round
Greene CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Guernsey CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Hamilton CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Hancock CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Hardin CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Harrison CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Henry CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Highland CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Hocking CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Holmes CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Huron CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round, winter
Jackson CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Jefferson CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: year-round, winter
Knox CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Lake CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round
Lawrence CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Licking CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Logan CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Lorain CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round
Lucas County40 · Recorded, season not shownYes: year-round, winter
Madison CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Mahoning CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round
Marion CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Medina County30 · Recorded, season not shownYes: year-round
Meigs CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Mercer CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Miami CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Monroe CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Montgomery CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Morgan CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Morrow CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Muskingum CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Noble CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Ottawa CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round
Paulding CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Perry CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Pickaway CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Pike CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Portage CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round
Preble CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Putnam CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Richland CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Ross CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Sandusky CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: year-round, winter
Scioto CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Seneca CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Shelby CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Stark CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round, winter
Summit County31 · Recorded, season not shownYes: year-round
Trumbull CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: year-round
Tuscarawas CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Union CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Van Wert CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Vinton CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Warren CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Washington CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Wayne CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round, winter
Williams CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Wood CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round, winter
Wyandot CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter

Season

When it is recorded

In Ohio

Late August to early May, middle week Dec 20–26

Show over the bars
Recording in Ohio · records of all species each week, 1,691,199 in all

Records per week from 603 records in 10 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not how common it is. The grey bars show how many records of all species were made here each week, so you can see when recording itself was high or low; the season is not adjusted by them.

Recorded on 457 dates. Latest record: December 2025.

Show as a table
Records of Red-breasted Nuthatch in Ohio each week, and records of all species
WeekRecords of Red-breasted NuthatchYears recordedRecords of all species
Jan 4–102066,211
Jan 11–171455,146
Jan 18–24964,645
Jan 25–311264,698
Feb 1–71356,023
Feb 8–141775,888
Feb 15–21965,436
Feb 22–281066,846
Mar 1–7548,321
Mar 8–148710,384
Mar 15–219712,620
Mar 22–284413,949
Mar 29 – Apr 45419,661
Apr 5–1112626,860
Apr 12–1812639,925
Apr 19–2512641,623
Apr 26 – May 215656,391
May 3–921752,952
May 10–1644653,785
May 17–2315657,698
May 24–302154,651
May 31 – Jun 60053,099
Jun 7–130053,700
Jun 14–201156,625
Jun 21–270055,361
Jun 28 – Jul 40058,477
Jul 5–110061,336
Jul 12–183264,722
Jul 19–252169,753
Jul 26 – Aug 12159,416
Aug 2–81159,712
Aug 9–151155,994
Aug 16–222154,328
Aug 23–293351,772
Aug 30 – Sep 520457,167
Sep 6–128359,075
Sep 13–1918654,543
Sep 20–2617645,860
Sep 27 – Oct 323743,180
Oct 4–1021637,841
Oct 11–1724730,824
Oct 18–2411621,156
Oct 25–3116519,021
Nov 1–720614,172
Nov 8–1416512,621
Nov 15–212057,965
Nov 22–282088,136
Nov 29 – Dec 51286,083
Dec 6–121166,004
Dec 13–191365,423
Dec 20–262175,661
Dec 27 – Jan 22958,459

What these results show

These results show when people recorded a species, not when or where it occurs. Missing weeks and low counts do not mean absence or scarcity, and counts are not abundance. Contributed records reflect where, when and what people chose to observe.

Relatives

In the same genus

Other Sitta recorded in Ohio

White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis

Identification

How to identify it

Often confused with

  • White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis238 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • American Robin Turdus migratorius44 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricapillus40 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Carolina Wren Thryothorus ludovicianus31 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Brown Creeper Certhia americana13 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant

From iNaturalist’s similar-species counts, refreshed monthly: confusions in Ohio first, then worldwide. Only species with an Ohio result are listed.

Land cover where it is recorded

Land coverIts recordsAll Ohio records
Developed72%49%
Forest22%31%
Farmland4%11%
Wetland2%5%
Open water0.8%3%

From 263 records placed within 100 m, beside all Ohio records placed the same way. People record where they go, so this shows where records come from, not where the species lives. Land cover: USGS Annual NLCD, 2025 (opens in a new tab)

Sources

Where these results come from

  • Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations and expert-identified GBIF datasets, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC. Sources
  • Seasons use the published method and its evidence thresholds. Methods
  • See it on iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)OpenPhenology is independent and not affiliated with iNaturalist.

Records behind the Ohio result

603 records from 2 datasets.

To cite: the GBIF download doi:10.15468/dl.y2jkt8 (opens in a new tab).

A spreadsheet (CSV) with a link to each record, on iNaturalist or GBIF. Records whose location was hidden by the observer or the source are counted but not linked.