Chickadees & titmice
Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
A bold feeder regular that takes a seed and flies off to eat it. Peanuts and sunflower suit it; suet is a reliable winter draw.
- Food to offer
- Sunflower
- Peanuts
- Suet
- Feeder that suits it
- Small tube or hopper
- Size
- Small
- When to expect it
- Year-round (eastern North America)
- Region
- East
Photos of Tufted Titmouse
4 imagesFeeding Tufted Titmouse at a glance
For someone putting out food for the first time.
What to put out
- Black-oil sunflower
- Peanuts
- Suet
Best feeder and placement
Small tube, hopper or suet cage.
How it behaves at the feeder
Bold and quick. Takes a seed and flies off to eat it, often caching. Frequently travels with chickadees.
How to recognise it
Grey above, whitish below, with a pointed grey crest and a small black patch above the bill. No black cap.
Often confused with
Chickadee species — Titmouse has a crest and no black cap; chickadees have a black cap and no crest.
One thing to watch
Will readily use a nest box, so keep feeders and boxes apart during nesting.
Crest, but no black cap
The field mark is the pointed grey crest and the small black patch above the bill. There is no black cap, which separates it from chickadees at a glance.
It is grey above and whitish below, with a slightly rusty wash on the flanks in some populations. The overall impression is a neat, crested grey bird.
Bold, and a cacher
Titmice take a seed and fly off to eat or hide it, often wedging it into bark. That is why a feeder can empty without many long visits.
They are also curious and tolerant of people, often approaching a feeder while someone is still filling it. That boldness makes them one of the easiest birds to watch closely.
Titmouse or chickadee?
| Feature | Tufted Titmouse | Chickadees |
|---|---|---|
| Head | Pointed crest, no black cap | Black cap and bib |
| Size | Slightly larger and stockier | Smaller |
| Bill | Short and stout | Short |
| Behaviour | Takes seed and leaves to cache | Takes seed and leaves to cache |
Common questions
Is it a kind of chickadee?
No, but it is in the same family and often travels with chickadees. The crest and the lack of a black cap separate them.
Do they migrate?
They are resident across their range and may even expand northward over time.
What is the best food?
Sunflower, peanuts and suet. Peanuts are taken readily and cached.