Backyard & Woodland Songbirds
Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
A small gray songbird with a pointed crest and big black eyes. It's a regular at feeders, where it grabs a seed and flies off to crack it open.
How to identify it
- Gray above, white below, with a pointed gray crest
- Large black eyes and a small black patch above the bill
- Rusty-orange wash on the sides
- Loud, whistled "peter-peter-peter"
SizeAbout the size of a Song Sparrow
Carolina Chickadee4 in
Song Sparrow6 in
Tufted Titmouse6 in
American Robin10 in
6 inAverage length, bill to tail
Details
- Size
- 5.5–6.5 in long; wingspan 8–10 in
- Weight
- 0.6–0.9 oz
- Habitat
- Deciduous woods, parks and yards
- When to see it
- Year-round across the East
- Diet
- Insects, seeds, nuts; sunflower seeds at feeders
Range in the United States
Life history
Food
Eats insects in summer and seeds, nuts and berries in winter; hoards seeds.
Nesting
In a tree cavity or nest box, lined with soft materials such as hair.
- Clutch
- 3–9 eggs
- Incubation
- 12–14 days
- Young
- Fledge at about 15–18 days
- Broods
- 1–2 per year
Behavior
Joins chickadee flocks in winter. Young from one year sometimes help their parents the next.
Conservation
Common and expanding northward.
Cool facts
- It plucks hair from live animals, including dogs, for its nest lining.
- It hides seeds one at a time to eat later.
- It is closely related to chickadees.
Songs & calls
▶Bird sounds video coming soon
Watch the Tufted Titmouse
▶Video coming soon
