Red-breasted Nuthatch or Red-bellied Chickadee with a striped head?

Another irruptive species from the North Woods is the Red-breasted Nuthatch. They are supposed to come south much more frequently than species like the Evening Grosbeak, but I haven't seen one for decades.


The Red-headed Nuthatch usually makes it to Massachusetts every other winter. I never saw one in Sharon, though (maybe too south?), and this is the first year I've seen them in Framingham.


The two species are so similar in size, shape, and perching behavior that it's seems pretty obvious that they are related. I feel foolish admitting that when I first saw a Red-breasted Nuthatch last month, I was extremely puzzled by what I thought was a red-bellied Chickadee with a striped head!


Had I seen it in this typical Nuthatch pose, I probably would have caught on sooner. The Red-breasted is a little stockier than the white-breasted Nuthatch, but they still look remarkably similar.