Oak Titmouse
Encyclopedia
The Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus, is a passerine
bird
in the tit
family Paridae. The American Ornithologists' Union
split the Plain Titmouse into the Oak Titmouse and the Juniper Titmouse
in 1996, due to distinct differences in song, preferred habitat, and genetic makeup.
The Oak Titmouse is a small, brown-tinged gray bird with small tuft or crest. The face is plain, and the undersides are a lighter gray. Sexes are similar, as there is very little to no sexual dimorphism
.
This species lives year-round on the Pacific slope, resident from southern Oregon
south through California
west of the Sierra Nevada to Baja California
, but its range surrounds the central San Joaquin Valley
. It prefers open woodlands of warm, dry oak and oak-pine at low to mid-elevations but can also be found in forests as long as adequate oak trees are present.
The Oak Titmouse will sleep in cavities, dense foliage or birdhouses. 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. It forms pairs or small groups, but does not form large flocks. It may join mixed-species flocks
after breeding season for foraging. Pairs stay together after the breeding season.
Oak Titmice eat insects and spiders, and are sometimes seen catching insects in midair. They will also take berries, acorns, and some seeds. This species forages on foliage, twigs, branches, trunks, and occasionally on ground, sometimes hanging upside down to forage, and hammering seeds against branches to open them. Oak Titmice are attracted to feeders with suet, peanut butter and sunflower seeds.
The song of the Oak Titmouse is a series of repeated whistled notes of three to seven syllables, with first syllable higher in pitch than the following one. The call is a scratchy tsicka-dee-dee.
The Oak Titmouse builds its nest in a woodpecker hole, a natural cavity, or a nest box, using grass, moss, mud, hair, feathers, and fur. It breeds from March into July, with peak activity in April and May, laying 3-9 eggs, usually 6-8. The female is the primary incubator, with incubation taking 14–16 days. Young are altricial
, and are tended by both parents in nest for 16–21 days. Parents continue to tend to young for another three to four weeks after they leave the nest.
The Oak Titmouse and Juniper Titmouse
appear almost identical, but differ in voice as well as range. The Oak Titmouse has a browner back than the Juniper Titmouse. The Oak Titmouse gives a repeated series of three to seven syllables, each comprising one low and one high note, while the Juniper Titmouse song consists of a series of rapid syllables on the same note. Ranges overlap only in a small area in California. The Tufted Titmouse
, which does not overlap in range, has whiter belly, rusty flanks, and black on the forehead.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the tit
Titmouse
The tits, chickadees, and titmice constitute Paridae, a large family of small passerine birds which occur in the northern hemisphere and Africa...
family Paridae. The American Ornithologists' Union
American Ornithologists' Union
The American Ornithologists' Union is an ornithological organization in the USA. Unlike the National Audubon Society, its members are primarily professional ornithologists rather than amateur birders...
split the Plain Titmouse into the Oak Titmouse and the Juniper Titmouse
Juniper Titmouse
The Juniper Titmouse, Baeolophus ridgwayi, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. The American Ornithologists' Union split the Plain Titmouse into the Oak Titmouse and the Juniper Titmouse in 1996, due to distinct differences in song, preferred habitat, and genetic makeup.The Juniper...
in 1996, due to distinct differences in song, preferred habitat, and genetic makeup.
The Oak Titmouse is a small, brown-tinged gray bird with small tuft or crest. The face is plain, and the undersides are a lighter gray. Sexes are similar, as there is very little to no sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual dimorphism is a phenotypic difference between males and females of the same species. Examples of such differences include differences in morphology, ornamentation, and behavior.-Examples:-Ornamentation / coloration:...
.
This species lives year-round on the Pacific slope, resident from southern Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
south through California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
west of the Sierra Nevada to Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, but its range surrounds the central San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
. It prefers open woodlands of warm, dry oak and oak-pine at low to mid-elevations but can also be found in forests as long as adequate oak trees are present.
The Oak Titmouse will sleep in cavities, dense foliage or birdhouses. 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. It forms pairs or small groups, but does not form large flocks. It may join mixed-species flocks
Mixed-species feeding flock
A mixed-species feeding flock, also termed a mixed-species foraging flock, mixed hunting party or informally bird wave, is a flock of usually insectivorous birds of different species, that join each other and move together while foraging...
after breeding season for foraging. Pairs stay together after the breeding season.
Oak Titmice eat insects and spiders, and are sometimes seen catching insects in midair. They will also take berries, acorns, and some seeds. This species forages on foliage, twigs, branches, trunks, and occasionally on ground, sometimes hanging upside down to forage, and hammering seeds against branches to open them. Oak Titmice are attracted to feeders with suet, peanut butter and sunflower seeds.
The song of the Oak Titmouse is a series of repeated whistled notes of three to seven syllables, with first syllable higher in pitch than the following one. The call is a scratchy tsicka-dee-dee.
The Oak Titmouse builds its nest in a woodpecker hole, a natural cavity, or a nest box, using grass, moss, mud, hair, feathers, and fur. It breeds from March into July, with peak activity in April and May, laying 3-9 eggs, usually 6-8. The female is the primary incubator, with incubation taking 14–16 days. Young are altricial
Altricial
Altricial, meaning "requiring nourishment", refers to a pattern of growth and development in organisms which are incapable of moving around on their own soon after hatching or being born...
, and are tended by both parents in nest for 16–21 days. Parents continue to tend to young for another three to four weeks after they leave the nest.
The Oak Titmouse and Juniper Titmouse
Juniper Titmouse
The Juniper Titmouse, Baeolophus ridgwayi, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. The American Ornithologists' Union split the Plain Titmouse into the Oak Titmouse and the Juniper Titmouse in 1996, due to distinct differences in song, preferred habitat, and genetic makeup.The Juniper...
appear almost identical, but differ in voice as well as range. The Oak Titmouse has a browner back than the Juniper Titmouse. The Oak Titmouse gives a repeated series of three to seven syllables, each comprising one low and one high note, while the Juniper Titmouse song consists of a series of rapid syllables on the same note. Ranges overlap only in a small area in California. The Tufted Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse
The Tufted Titmouse, Baeolophus bicolor, is a small songbird from North America, a species in the tit and chickadee family . The Black-crested Titmouse, found from central and southern Texas southwards, was included as a subspecies but is now considered a separate species B...
, which does not overlap in range, has whiter belly, rusty flanks, and black on the forehead.
External links
- All About Birds from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Bird Guide
Oak Titmouse - Audubon.org Oak Titmouse
- VIREO
Oak Titmouse photo gallery - Oak Titmouse videos on the Internet Bird Collection