Baeolophus bicolor
The Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a bird native to the eastern United States. The Tufted Titmouse has recently begun to expand its range Northward, and it's breeding nicely. He has a "Least concern" conservation status. He is in the same family with Chickadees and other species of Titmice.
He has a distinctive grey tuft or crest on the top of his head. Under his wings there is a little bit of brown. He's grey on top and has a white underside. Why am I calling it a he? I don't know, I guess it just looks like a he to me. His eyes are a pure black, with a more faded black ring around the eye, giving the appearance that the eye is bigger than it is.
Much like a Carolina Chickadee, the Tufted Titmouse nest in a cavity in a tree's trunk. Sometimes, many birds will stuff themselves inside one nest and some birds might even suffocate because so many birds are in this cavity that they can't get out. It's quite sad, to me. He prefers to live in mature trees, not saplings. Deciduous forests are ideal for this bird's habitat, but he will live in suburban areas if there are older trees available.
He is a very active bird; when foraging for food, he will jump from branch to branch, hang upside-down, and even hover in midair when collecting bugs, berries, etc. He eats almost anything small enough for him to eat, such as berries, insects, snails, seeds, spiders, nuts, and seeds. His flight is fluttery, but not up-and-down-y; he tends to remain level.
His song is a high-pitched peter-peter-peter. He does not migrate, remaining a permanent resident wherever he may live, but he does flock with chickadees and nuthatches.
There used to a be different bird, called the black-crested titmouse, but it turns out, the Black-crested and the tufted titmouse are the same, it's just that the black-crested has, as the name implies, a black crest instead of a blue-grey one.
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