Scientific Name:   Baeolophus bicolor

Length:   5.5-6.3 in (14-16 cm)

Weight:   0.6-0.9 oz (18-26 g)

Wingspan:   7.9-10.2 in (20-26 cm)

Nest:   Pairs nest in a hole in a tree, either a natural cavity, a human-made nest box, or sometimes an old woodpecker nest. They line the nest with soft materials such as hair, fur, or wool. If they find snake skin shedding, they may incorporate pieces into their nest. Birds may pluck hair from live woodchuck, dog, or other animal, even from humans.

Eggs:   5-6, sometimes 3-9. White, finely dotted with brown, reddish, or purple. Incubation is by female only, 12-14 days.

Feeding Behavior:   They are foragers often hanging upside down inspecting a branch or twig and leaves from all angles while searching for their food. Opens acorns and seeds by holding them with feet and pounding with bill. They eat wasps, bees, sawfly larvae, beetles, true bugs, scale insects, and many others, including many insect eggs and pupae. Also eats some spiders, snails. Seeds, nuts, berries, and small fruits are important in diet especially in winter.

Young:   Female stays with young much of time at first, while male brings food; later, young are fed by both parents, sometimes by additional helper. Young leave nest about 15-16 days after hatching.

Range:   Although the tufted titmouse is non-migratory and originally native to the Ohio and Mississippi River basins, factors such as bird feeders have caused these birds to occupy a larger territory across the United States and stretching into Ontario and Quebec in Canada. They live in deciduous and mixed woods as well as gardens, parks, and shrublands.

Brief Description:   These small birds have a white front and grey upper body outlined with rust colored flanks. Other characteristics include their black foreheads and the tufted grey crest on their heads. In juveniles, the black forehead is greatly diminished such that they may be confused with the oak titmouse. A black patch just above the bill makes the bird look snub-nosed.