How to Identify aTufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor · 5.5–6.3 in (14–16 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Silver-gray above, whitish below with peachy flanks, a pointed gray crest, and a black patch above the bill.
Female
Identical to the male in the field.
Male photo: Rhododendrites / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Second photo: Wcedmisten / Wikimedia, CC BY 4.0
Field marks
- Pointed gray crest
- Large dark eyes on a plain pale face
- Peach-orange wash on the flanks
- Small black forehead patch
Similar species
What it sounds like
A clear, whistled, repeated "peter-peter-peter", one of the most persistent sounds of eastern woods.
Behaviour that gives it away
Lines its nest with hair, and will pluck it directly from living animals — including dogs and people.
Habitat & range
Deciduous woods, parks, and feeders across the eastern U.S.
When you'll see it
Present all year in eastern, central and southeastern North America.
What it eats
Insects, seeds, and nuts; carries off one sunflower seed at a time to hammer open.
Did you know?
Titmice sometimes pluck hair from live mammals — even sleeping dogs — to line their nests.
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