BED-BBEASTED NUTHATCH 569 



tiniially at least from April to the last of December, and it seems likely 

 that a few of the birds stay there throughout the whole winter. On 

 December 30, 1914, four Red-breasted Nuthatches were heard near Gentrys 

 (6000 feet), which suggests that some of the birds may remain even higher 

 in the mountains throughout the year. The species is known to visit the 

 foothills and valleys in other parts of California during some winters, 

 but we did not see it, winter or summer, at any station below the Transition 

 Zone, in the Yosemite section. 



The Red-breasted Nuthatch is of about the size of the Pigmy Nuthatch 

 and but half the bulk of the Slender-billed. It has a conspicuous stripe over 

 the eye which is the best single mark by which it may be recognized. (See 

 pi. lOg.) The Red-breasted Nuthatch is a solitary bird and so is not likely 

 to be confounded with the Pigmy Nuthatch which is emphatically of flock- 

 ing habit. 



The call note of the Red-breasted Nuthatch is a nasal nd or iveh, 

 reminding some people of the tooting of a child's penny trumpet. Some- 

 times the note is given singly or, if repeated, with very long intervals 

 between calls, while on other occasions five to nine calls are given close 

 together with measured timing. When the birds are disturbed or excited 

 the nd-nd-nd, etc., comes with a more rapid and continued production, 

 even for several minutes at a time. The nature of the call is such that 

 it carries for long distances; the hearer is frequently deceived into believ- 

 ing that the bird is close by. This one call seems to be the only vocal 

 achievement of which this nuthatch is capable. 



Even among the three species of nuthatches, which as a group are bark 

 dwellers, there seems to be mutual agreement with respect to forage range, 

 by which each is allotted a separate precinct. The Slender-bill keeps to 

 the smaller trees or around the bases of the larger ones, the Pigmy forages 

 out toward the ends of the branches and amid the needle tufts, while 

 the Red-breasted, although sometimes coming close to the ground, spends 

 most of its time up near the tops of the loftiest trees where it inspects 

 the main shaft and larger branches. Were it not for the bird's far- 

 carrying note, the last-named species would often be passed unnoticed 

 even by the careful observer. Although a nuthatch may be calling con- 

 stantly the observer often has great difficulty in discerning the 4-inch 

 bird at the top of a tree a hundred feet or more in height. 



At Hazel Green on May 14, 1919, a pair of these nuthatches was seen 

 foraging close together and within a few feet of the ground. One of the 

 birds (the male?) kept its tail slightly spread so that the white band 

 showed at each side. Presumably this was a courting display somewhat 

 of the nature to be noticed among fox sparrows, juncos, and other birds 

 at this season, and it is likely that nesting commenced soon afterward. 



