Oak Titmouse
by Dave Zittin
The Oak Titmouse’s perky personality combined with a fairy-tale crest on its head make it one of our cuter birds. They favor dry oak forests, but also occur in mixed conifer-oak forests and are frequently seen in backyards. Oak Titmice pair for life starting in their first year. They seek natural cavities and abandoned woodpecker cavities as well as backyard nest boxes in which to construct their nests.
Oak Titmouse with a fairy-tale crest by Dave Zittin
I call them “seed bandits” because they fly to my feeder, immediately grab a seed and fly off to hide on a branch where the seed is pinned to the branch with their feet. At this point the beak is used to hammer off hulls if present, and break the seed into smaller pieces. Once a seed is consumed, it returns to the feeder for another. Like the White-breasted Nuthatch, the Oak Titmouse may cache seeds for later consumption. The short, stout beak makes them proficient at obtaining food on bark and in bark crevices. They also glean insects on foliage in a manner similar to Chestnut-backed Chickadees.
The Oak Titmouse “Seed-Bandit” at work by John Richardson
What they lack in color, they make up for in sound. The songs and the calls of the Oak Titmouse are very much a part of the soundscape of our oak forests.
The Oak Titmouse is in the family Paridae which includes the chickadees, tits and titmice. The family is widespread, but the titmouse genus, of which there are five species, occur only in North America.
Attracting Oak Titmice to Backyards
The Oak Titmouse is an omnivore. It readily consumes seeds from feeders. Nearby trees are an asset, providing a place where they can safely process food. They will feed from the ground, but prefer elevated feeders.
Oak Titmouse pair at bird bath by Hita Bambhania-Modha
Description
The upper parts of Oak Titmice are a dull olive-brownish, the under surface is gray-white. It is a small bird with a short, broad crest. The crest is usually elevated and is an identification giveaway, but sometimes it is lowered, presenting a rounded head to observers. This can sometimes lead to misidentification. In our area, the small size and uniform gray color over the lower body make it easy to identify. The short, stout gray-black beak and the prominent black eye in a field of gray are also helpful.
Oak Titmouse with its crest down. This can sometimes lead to mis-identification. Photo by Dave Zittin
Oak Titmice make a variety of different sounds. The most common call is “tsicka dee dee” used by mated pairs to keep in contact with each other. Songs vary and my favorite sounds like a frantic “Peter, Peter, Peter!”.
Distribution
Oak Titmice range from southernmost coastal Oregon to Northwestern Baja California. In California, they occur west of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. A disjunct population occurs at the southern tip of Baja California. The Oak Titmouse is common in Santa Clara County.
They are declining in number, especially in California, as oak woodlands are removed for housing, agricultural uses and fuel-wood harvesting.
Similar Species
Juniper Titmouse by Brooke Miller
The Juniper Titmouse and the Oak Titmouse are similar and were once thought to be the same species. Fortunately, their distributions are different over much of their ranges. The two species overlap in only one area, near Lava Beds National Monument in North-central California, just south of the Oregon border. Otherwise, the Juniper Titmouse distribution occurs considerably east of that of the Oak Titmouse.
Explore
All About Birds Oak Titmouse Overview
Listen to the two common songs and a call in the Audubon Field Guide: Oak Titmouse
More Backyard Bird Information
View more common Santa Clara County Backyard Birds
Visit our Backyard Birding page
Read our Notes and Tips from a Backyard Birder series
Tell us what you’re seeing in your yard! Send your notes, photos, and sound clips to backyardbirds@scvas.org. We’ll feature your submittals on our website.
Banner Photo: Oak Titmouse by Steve Zamek