Tufted Titmouse vs Blue Jay
The check that settles it
Much larger and blue, though a distant grey-looking jay in poor light causes this every winter.
Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
- Size
- 14–16 cm
- Bill
- conical
- Where
- feeder, woodland, yard
- Voice
- A loud clear whistled 'peter-peter-peter', carrying much further than the bird's size suggests.
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
- Size
- 25–30 cm
- Bill
- conical
- Where
- feeder, yard, woodland
- Voice
- A harsh descending 'jaay'. Also an astonishing imitation of a red-shouldered hawk, which empties a feeder in seconds and is often done for exactly that reason.
Confirming a tufted titmouse
- 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.
Confirming a blue jay
- Blue with a black necklace and a crest.
- White patches in the wing and white corners to the tail, obvious in flight.
- Black barring across the blue of the wings and tail.