Heavy-bodied chickadee sized bird with very short tail and a long, thin, slightly upturned bill. Mostly white below and on the face. The crown, nape, and back are blueish gray, darkest on the crown. Crown and nape are black on adult males. Dark gray wings with long primary projection. Primaries edged white. Flanks are gray and the lower belly and vent are rusty brown. Undertail coverts are white. Extremely short gray tail and legs. In flight, white patches obvious. Three subspecies: Eastern birds are paler above, thicker-billed, and have a broader black crown. Birds of the Intermountain West are darkest above and have the longest, thinnest bills. West coast birds nearly as dark as Intermountain birds with shorter bill.

Length: 15 (cm) Wingspan: 28 (cm)

Voice:

Nasal whistled notes on one pitch: wi wi wi wi wi. Short nasal contact call. High nasal ink note while foraging. Eastern subspecies: yenk. Descending slightly. Interior west subspecies: rapid nasal notes grouped in twos or threes. Pacific: High pitched nasal notes: yelp. Contact notes huskier than Eastern subspecies.

Habitat:

Open woods with mature trees. Prefers oak or pine woodlands.

Behavior:

Forages usually by flying to tree trunk or branch and creeping down headfirst. Probes at bark. Often joins mixed-species flocks.

Feeding:

Diet consists of insects, nuts and seeds.