Tufted Titmouse
Scientific name: Baeolophus bicolor
A little gray bird with an echoing voice, the tufted titmouse is common in eastern deciduous forests and a frequent visitor to feeders. The large black eyes, small, round bill, and brushy crest gives these birds a quiet but eager expression that matches the way they flit through canopies, hang from twig-ends, and drop in to bird feeders. When a titmouse finds a large seed, you’ll see it carry the prize to a perch and crack it with sharp whacks of its stout bill.
Weight
0.6 - 0.9 ounces
Length
5.5-6.3 inches
Diet
Related to chickadees, the tufted titmice are regulars at backyard bird feeders, especially in winter. They prefer sunflower seeds but will eat suet, peanuts, and other seeds as well. Insects make up close to two-thirds of annual diet, with caterpillars the most important prey in summer.
Tufted titmice hoard food in fall and winter, a behavior they share with many of their relatives, including the chickadees and tits. Titmice take advantage of a bird feeder’s bounty by storing many of the seeds they get. Usually, the storage sites are within 130 feet of the feeder. The birds take only one seed per trip and usually shell the seeds before hiding them.
Habitat
Look for tufted titmice flitting through the outer branches of tree canopies in deciduous woods, parks, and backyards. A quiet walk through woodlands will often turn up the twittering of a mixed-species foraging flock, and you’ll likely find titmice in attendance. You’ll often hear the high, whistled peter-peter-peter song well before you see the bird.
Life Cycle
The oldest known wild tufted titmouse was at least 13 years, 3 months old. It was banded in Virginia in 1962, and found in the same state in 1974.
Migration
Feeders may be helping it to expand its range: in recent decades, Tufted Titmice have been steadily pushing north.
Photo: Ben McGann
Photo: Bruce Cochrane
Photo: Jesse White
Nesting in a hole in a tree; Photo: Lisa Owens
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