A North American nuthatch that searches bark as it moves along trunks and branches.
Adult males have a blue-gray back, white face and underparts, and a black cap. Females look similar but often have a grayer cap; some western-subspecies females have a dark cap. Juveniles look like females.
It probes bark on trunks and branches for insects. It wedges nuts and seeds into bark to open them, and may hide food for later.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.