White-Breasted Nuthatch - sleeps upside-down? (1 Viewer)

[AJP]

I was stunned today to see what seemed like two "fake" nuthatches apparently "sleeping" upside-down (very close to each other) on a small birch tree, quite close to a hanging feeder. One was nestled in the crook of a branch and the other was a few more inches down. They were positively still - no movement whatsoever - and I did not approach them so as not to disturb any of the birds in the area. Also to note that there was a sharp-shinned hawk close by who was hunting the songbirds (making quite a warning racket in the bushes!)

This has spurred a debate between myself and another person about whether they were real or not. I say they were real but were either sleeping or hiding from the hawk. I only found one website that mentions their sleeping habits. Any thoughts?

 

[fugl]

They were undoubtedly reacting to the hawk by freezing in place so as not to attract its attention. I've never witnessed nuthatches behaving this way in the presence of birds of prey but I've seen other birds do so on several occasions (though not upside down). The best instance was a robin some years ago in reaction to a Merlin perched on lamp standard a couple of hundred feet away. The robin was absolutely rigid & let me approach to with a foot or so without stirring & I'm pretty sure I could have reached out & picked it up if I had wanted to.

Nuthatches, of course, are famous for walking head-first down tree trunks & there's no reason they wouldn't sometimes roost upside down as well