All About Titmice and How to Attract Them

You might think the titmouse gets its name from its soft gray mouse-like coloring or from it's squeaky little chirp.

But it does not!

The moniker comes from the Old English terms tit, which means small, and mase, which translates to bird. Over the years, titmase evolved into titmouse, and with the bird's small stature, coloration, and vocalizations, the apt name stuck.

Don Orkoskey, the owner of WDO Photography Pittsburgh, is a professional photographer and photography teacher of over 25 years. He offers classes about photographing wild birds and shared his insight into the titmouse with us. After studying these songbirds through his camera lenses, he's learned a few things about their appearances, mannerisms, and attracting them to get the best photographs.

Read on to learn more as a beginning birder.

Black-crested titmouse perched on a blooming branch.

Where to Find Titmice in Nature

You can spot up to five varieties of titmice in North America. These non-migratory birds (which means they stay in their home areas) will grace you with their presence year-round.

• Tufted titmouse: These birds live in the Eastern and Midwestern parts of the United States.

• Black-crested titmouse: Residents of the Southwest, especially Texas and Mexico, get to see these birds.

• Juniper titmouse: You'll find this bird in the Southwest, around Texas and inland California.

• Oak titmouse: Look to forests of oak trees in Oregon, California, and Mexico to spot this little songbird.

• Bridled titmouse: People in Mexico, Arizona, and the southwest corner of New Mexico can spot these birds.

Most titmice like to live in deciduous forests of oaks, maples, beeches, and other types of trees that shed their leaves each fall. The Juniper titmouse, however, prefers the evergreen pinyon pine forests.

Orkoskey says titmice frequent suburban areas too. "If you've got feeders close to a large shade tree in your yard and live near some thicker forested areas, you'll likely have titmice visit — assuming you're within their range."

Titmice like to store their food in the nooks and crannies of trees for winter. So you may also spot them gathering and hiding seeds in warmer weather and retrieving them from the hiding spots in cooler weather.

Bridled titmouse sitting on a branch.

How to Identify a Titmouse Bird

You will likely identify your first titmouse by hearing, not seeing, this little songbird. They have a squeaky, mouse-like vocalization, which is easy to remember thanks to this bird's name. Some wild bird enthusiasts think the titmouse sounds similar to a chickadee.

To hear recordings of a tufted titmouse, listen to the songs and calls shared on the Cornell College Cornell Lab All About Birds website. These titmice often make a whistle that sounds like a person saying "Peter, Peter, Peter."

Visually, the titmouse looks much like a miniature cardinal or blue jay, with large eyes and a pointy crest, or tuft of feathers, atop its head. When it comes to color, titmice appear mostly light brown or soft grey with some white on the chest and face and a black patch of feathers just above a short beak. Some varieties have rusty-red patches just under each wing in the "armpit" area.

Oak titmouse perched on a branch.

How to Attract Titmice to Your Backyard

Titmice aren't as skittish as some other small birds, like shy thrashers, so they will visit your backyard patio feeder in search of food, especially in the winter.

The bulk of a titmouse's diet comes from seeds, with sunflower seeds, seed-packed suet, and peanuts topping the favorites list.

"I've photographed them eating a wide variety of seed mixes. In addition, I've seen them perch and gather from wildflowers after they've gone to seed," Orkoskey shared. "I put out peanuts for the crows, ravens, blue jays, and grackles in my yard. When they drop bits of nuts, it's often tufted titmice that quickly move in to clean up after them."

When it's time to fill your bird feeder, consider adding one of these to attract more titmice to your home.

1. Kaytee Birders' Paradise: This blend of sunflower, wheat, safflower, millet, milo, cracked corn, and peanuts formulated by birding enthusiasts attracts songbirds, including titmice, finches, woodpeckers, and blue jays.

2. Kaytee Peanut Crunch Suet Dough: You can offer this suet cake to your bird friends year-round, not just in winter, since it's a special "no-melt" dough. Titmice will enjoy the dough made with beef suet, roasted peanuts, corn, and oats.

3. Kaytee Black Oil Sunflower: Why not give the titmice in your yard their favorite seed? Black oil sunflower seeds have a high oil content to give your feathered friends the energy they need in the cooler winter months. Plus, small songbirds can more easily manage the thinner hulls of this type of sunflower seed.

4. Kaytee Seed & Suet No Mess Peanut: Offer this mix of seeds and suet nuggets without filling a traditional suet cage. Simply pour the blend into your feeder and watch the birds flock to the food. The 100% edible seeds in the mix leave no messy hulls in your yard.

5. Kaytee Songbird Blend: This premium blend features black oil sunflower seeds, striped sunflower seeds, peanuts, and more. It's one of the highest-energy wild bird foods available, making it a favorite for feeding when wild seeds become scarce in the wintertime.

In addition to spotting titmice at your feeder, you might also see them scratching around in the grass or inspecting tree branches looking for insects, wasps, and insect larvae, Orkoskey elaborated.

You can also attract titmice to your backyard by offering them cozy accommodations. The tufted titmouse, for example, builds its home in the cavities of trees or in a nesting box that simulates this environment. Feeling crafty? Learn how to build a nesting box for a tufted titmouse from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at Cornell University.

Get a Close-Up of These Songbirds

If you have mature, deciduous trees in your yard, you likely have some titmice already hanging around. Bring them closer into view by offering a bird feeder stocked with their favorites, including sunflower seeds, suet, and peanuts.

Once you have an established titmouse family on your property, they will hang around all year long and even raise their young into the winter months, making for exceptional bird-watching and photographing opportunities.

Expand your birding knowledge in Summer Birds You'll Find In Your Backyard This Year and Where Birds Go In The Winter.