Black-crested Titmouse

Overview

Black-crested Titmouse: Large titmouse with gray upperparts, pale gray underparts, and rust-brown flanks. The head has black cap and crest, pale gray face, and pale eye-ring. Wings and tail are gray. Gray legs and feet. Was once considered a subspecies of the Tufted Titmouse. AKA Mexican Titmouse.

Range and Habitat

Black-crested Titmouse: Native to southern Texas, Oklahoma and east-central Mexico. Common wherever trees grow, deciduous, heavy timber or urban shade trees. Perfers to nest in cavities in trees, telephone poles, fence posts and bird boxes.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Black-crested Titmouse has an alarm call that is a loud scold that fades away, causing predators to think they are fleeing while they actually stay safely hidden nearby.
They will eat snow when liquid water is not available. To eat acorns, they will hold them with their feet and pound them open with their bills.
A group of titmice are collectively known as a "banditry" and a "dissimulation" of titmice.

The Black-crested Titmouse is a small songbird that measures 5 ½ to 6 inches at maturity. Its native homeland ranges from southern Texas and Oklahoma to east-central Mexico. This species loves to live wherever there is rampant tree growth, as they nest in hollow tree cavities. In areas of urbanization, the Black-crested Titmouse will also nest in telephone poles, fence posts or man-made birdhouses. Urban shade trees, heavy timber and deciduous forests may all be home to the Black-crested Titmouse. It enjoys feeding on nuts, seeds, berries, spiders, insects and insect eggs. This species’ conservation rating is Least Concern.