Tufted Titmouse

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Baeolophus bicolor ORDER: PASSERIFORMES FAMILY: PARIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

A little gray bird with an echoing voice, the Tufted Titmouse is common in eastern deciduous forests and a frequent visitor to feeders. The large black eyes, small, round bill, and brushy crest gives these birds a quiet but eager expression that matches the way they flit through canopies, hang from twig-ends, and drop in to bird feeders. When a titmouse finds a large seed, you’ll see it carry the prize to a perch and crack it with sharp whacks of its stout bill.

Songs

Song, call

Recorded by Donald R. Gunn
Song

Recorded by Wilbur L. Hershberger
West Virginia April 1998

Macaulay Library

The Tufted Titmouse’s song is a fast-repeated, clear whistle: peter-peter-peter. The birds repeat this up to 11 times in succession or up to 35 songs delivered per minute. Females occasionally sing a quieter version of the song.

Calls

Calls, song

Recorded by Michael J. Andersen
Florida February 2007
Call

Recorded by Wilbur L. Hershberger
West Virginia October 2001

Macaulay Library

Titmouse calls are nasal and mechanical. A scratchy, chickadee-like tsee-day-day-day is the most common. Tufted Titmice also give fussy, scolding call notes and, when predators are sighted, a harsh distress call that warns other titmice of the danger.

Search the Macaulay Library online archive for more sounds and videos

Backyard Tips

Tufted Titmouse are regulars at backyard bird feeders, especially in winter. They prefer sunflower seeds but will eat suet, peanuts, and other seeds as well. Find out more about what this bird likes to eat and what feeder is best by using the Project FeederWatch Common Feeder Birds bird list.

Tufted Titmouse build their nests in cavities, so putting up nest boxes is a good way to attract breeding titmice to your yard. Make sure you put it up well before breeding season. Attach a guard to keep predators from raiding eggs and young. Find out more about nest boxes on our Attract Birds pages. You'll find plans for building a nest box of the appropriate size on our All About Birdhouses site.

Find This Bird

Look for Tufted Titmice flitting through the outer branches of tree canopies in deciduous woods, parks, and backyards. A quiet walk through woodlands will often turn up the twittering of a mixed-species foraging flock, and you’ll likely find titmice in attendance. You’ll often hear the high, whistled peter-peter-peter song well before you see the bird.

Get Involved

Keep track of the Tufted Titmice at your feeder with Project FeederWatch

Visit the NestCams archives to watch Tufted Titmice at their nest.

Enhance your yard for titmice and other birds. Visit our web pages on feeding and attracting birds.

Check out our resources on attracting cavity-nesting birds and setting up a nest box for small songbirds such as Tufted Titmice. Then report any nesting activity to NestWatch