Once spanning nearly 6 million acres in Missouri's Ozarks, the shortleaf pine and oak woodland ecosystem has dwindled to 100,000 acres today. Along with the loss of this habitat, a bird—the brown-headed nuthatch—disappeared as well. However, after decades of woodland restoration, the brown-headed nuthatch has returned to Missouri—by plane.

Over two summers in 2020 and 2021, a team of scientists successfully captured and flew 102 birds from Arkansas to Missouri, marking the bird’s return to the state after being locally extinct since 1907. Weighing in at a mere one-third of an ounce, approximately the combined weight of a nickel and a quarter, the return of the brown-headed nuthatch is nevertheless a weighty event.

Related Research:

• Effects of Pine-oak Woodland Restoration on Breeding Bird Densities in the Ozark-Ouachita Interior Highlands (2019)
• Site Occupancy of Brown-headed Nuthatches Varies with Habitat Restoration and Range-limit Context (2015)
• Resource Configuration and Abundance Affect Space use of a Cooperatively Breeding Resident Bird (2014)

Scientists:

• Frank Thompson, Research Wildlife Biologist, Northern Research Station, Columbia, Missouri
• Jody Eberly, Wildlife Biologist/Fire Mgmt. Officer (Retired), Mark Twain National Forest, Rolla, Missouri
• Angelina Trombley, Wildlife Biologist, Mark Twain National Forest, Doniphan, Missouri

We used the following recordings from the Macaulay Library at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: ML180391131 (Milton Hobbs, Georgia, USA), ML225986 (Bob McGuire, Florida, USA) & ML unknown (Andrew Spencer, Florida, USA)

Produced by the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station.

Want more information? Visit us at https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/nrs/products/multimedia/podcasts/forestcast-special-episode-flying-nuthatch-home

Questions or ideas for the show? Connect with Jon at: jonathan.yales@usda.gov