Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
Also called titmouse.
A chickadee relative with a crest and a much bigger voice. The large dark eye in a plain grey face gives it an expression people find distinctive before they can say why.
- Size
- Sparrow-sized — 14–16 cm
- Bill
- Short and conical
- Where
- feeder, woodland, yard
- Season
- year round
What it looks like
Soft grey above and white below with peach-buff flanks, a pointed grey crest, large black eyes and a small black patch above the bill.
The checks that confirm it
- A grey pointed crest — the only small grey crested bird in the east.
- Black forehead patch just above the bill.
- Rusty-peach wash along the flanks.
- Large dark eye in an unmarked face.
Voice
A loud clear whistled 'peter-peter-peter', carrying much further than the bird's size suggests.
Attracting it
Sunflower seed, peanuts and suet. Like chickadees, they carry one seed away at a time.
Confused with
Smaller, no crest, with a black cap and bib.
Much larger and blue, though a distant grey-looking jay in poor light causes this every winter.
Questions about this bird
How do you identify a tufted titmouse?
A grey pointed crest — the only small grey crested bird in the east. Black forehead patch just above the bill.
What does a tufted titmouse sound like?
A loud clear whistled 'peter-peter-peter', carrying much further than the bird's size suggests.
How do you attract a tufted titmouse?
Sunflower seed, peanuts and suet. Like chickadees, they carry one seed away at a time.