Tufted Titmouse – Baeolophus bicolor

General: The Tufted Titmouse is a small songbird found in North America. They are common at winter bird feeders and often join with other small birds, such as chickadees, to form mixed flocks. Although not as tame as chickadees, I have had the pleasure of having a titmouse land on my hand to take a seed.

They typically nest in tree cavities or bird boxes. Many times Titmice use old woodpecker nests.

Tufted Titmouse eggs are white with brown dots and are approximately 7/10ths of an inch. The chicks will hatch in 13-14 days and will fledge in 15-18 days

Identification: The Tufted Titmouse is approximately 6″, about the size of a sparrow. Tufted Titmice have grey upperparts and white under-parts with a white face, a grey crest, a dark forehead and a short stout bill. Their sides are rust colored. The sexes are similar in appearance.

Habitat: Tufted Titmouse habitat is deciduous and mixed woods as well as gardens, parks, swampy areas and shrubland. They typically are found below 2,000 feet elevation.

Territory: Tufted Titmice are found from Wisconsin and Michigan east to Maine and south Florida into Texas and northeastern Mexico. They are all-year residents in the area of the Great Lakes, the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern US.

Food: Tufted Titmice are primarily insect eaters but also eat seeds and berries. They are known to hoard food and will often build caches of seeds and nuts from bird feeders.

Credits:
Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
The Audubon Society – Field Guide to North American Birds (Eastern Region)
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cornell Lab of Ornithology