Social and Supportive

Brown-headed nuthatches take a helpful approach to raising their young

- MONICA CORDOZA

Whether foraging atop trees or nesting in low snags, brown-headed nuthatches are often chattering with one another in the mature pine forests of the southeastern United States.

"It's a coordinated back-andforth between group members until they come across a group of neighboring nuthatches. Then all hell breaks loose as they defend their space against the other group," says Jim Cox, a biologist at Tall Timbers, a research station and land conservancy in Tallahassee, Florida.

Early Nesters