 Feathered Climber
The Red-breasted Nuthatch is easily missed as it creeps along tree branches like a mouse, a behaviour one would not expect from a bird. It climbs down the tree trunk head first, searching for tiny organisms that were overlooked by other birds climing is an upright position.
The Nuthatch's large hind toe and stubby tail are likely adaptations for climbing upside-down, tghe toe providing additional stability and the short tail allowing it to maneuver through the branches.
A sturdy tapered beak also enables it to wedge nuts and seeds in crevases and to hammer them open later, a distinct behaviour that led to it's name.
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