Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
These bold birds have been known to pluck hair directly from the backs of sleeping dogs or even humans to line their nests.
- Scientific name
- Baeolophus bicolor
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Paridae › Baeolophus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous and mixed forests, woodlots, orchards, and suburban backyards.
- Diet
- Mainly insects like caterpillars and beetles in summer; seeds, nuts, and berries in winter.
- Range
- Eastern United States, Southeastern Canada, Great Plains edge
- Size
- 14-16 cm length, 18-26 g weight
- Lifespan
- 2 to 10 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat fragmentation, predation by domestic cats, and collisions with glass windows.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and inquisitive. Maintain a respectful distance of 5-10 feet to observe natural behavior. If you find an injured bird, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator; do not attempt to keep it as a pet.
The tufted titmouse ( Baeolophus bicolor ) is a small songbird from North America, a species in the tit and chickadee family (Paridae). The black-crested titmouse, found from central and southern Texas southward, was included as a subspecies, but now is considered a separate species, (Baeolophus atricristatus) .
Photo: David Bird, CC0, via iNaturalist
Plain-text version: /species/d4bbc158-c6b2-4cd2-aecc-341ef81ecf50.md