Tufted Titmouse

Tufted Titmice are small gray birds with a distinctive crest and large black eyes. They are curious and energetic and often travel in small flocks with chickadees and nuthatches.

At feeders they enjoy sunflower seeds and peanuts and are known for grabbing a seed and flying away to crack it open nearby. They quickly become regular visitors when food is consistently available.

Tufted Titmice are bold, curious birds that love sunflower chips, peanuts, and premium nut blends. They have a charming habit of grabbing a single seed, flying to a nearby branch, holding it with their feet, and hammering it open. They cache extra seeds in bark crevices for later, so they'll visit your feeder dozens of times a day.

A tube feeder filled with sunflower chips or a peanut feeder works perfectly for Tufted Titmice. They're agile enough for hanging feeders and bold enough to visit even when larger birds are present. Position your feeder near mature deciduous trees where they can retreat to crack open seeds. They'll also readily visit suet cages in cooler months.

Titmice are cavity nesters that rely on old woodpecker holes or natural tree cavities. Keeping dead trees (snags) standing safely in your yard is the single best habitat move — they provide both nesting sites and bark crevices where titmice cache seeds. Hanging a nest box with a 3.2cm (1¼-inch) entrance hole gives them an alternative if natural cavities are scarce. Mature deciduous trees, especially oaks and maples, provide the acorns and seeds they forage for naturally.