# 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.

- **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.

## About

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) .

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/d4bbc158-c6b2-4cd2-aecc-341ef81ecf50
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/13632
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baeolophus bicolor
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/107992898/medium.jpg (David Bird, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.