The little Oak Titmice have been very active now that spring has arrived. Their call is the loudest bird sound in our backyard. It amazes me that such a tiny bird can make so much noise. It is mating and nest building season. I saw one emerging from the titmouse nest box in our backyard this week. They dart to the tube bird feeder, grab a seed, and then fly to a nearby tree branch where they hold the sunflower seed with a foot as they eat. They are very quick and I was pleased to get a photo.

I put out peanuts in the shell for the squirrels, the Western Scrub Jays, and the Steller’s Jays. One day a little titmouse pecked at the shell of a peanut with its tiny bill. Then, with its bill stuck in the peanut it flew away. The peanut was almost as big as the bird! Unfortunately, I did not get a picture.

An Oak titmouse is a small gray bird with small a tuft on its head.

• Size: 5 3/4 inches long
• Weight: 10-21 g (0.35-0.74 ounces)
• Sexes look alike
• Cool Facts
  1. The Oak Titmouse sleeps in cavities, nest boxes, or in dense foliage. When roosting in foliage, the titmouse chooses a twig surrounded by dense foliage or an accumulation of dead pine needles, simulating a roost in a cavity.
  2. The Oak Titmouse mates for life, and pairs defend year-round territories. Most titmice find a mate in their first fall. Those that do not are excluded from territories and must live in marginal habitat until they find a vacancy.
  3. The Oak Titmouse, unlike other members of the family, does not form flocks in winter.

Can you find the two titmice in this picture?