Black-crested Titmouse

Baeolophus atricristatusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Titmice and Chickadees (Paridae)

Codes: Common Name: BCTI Scientific Name: BAEATR ITIS Taxonomic No.: 558842

Breeding Location:

Forest edge, Grassland with scattered trees, Forest

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

White with brown spots

Number of Eggs:

4 - 8

Incubation Days:

13 - 14

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Lined with bark, leaves, soft grass and moss, snakeskin, and bits of animal fur and hair.

Migration:

Nonmigratory

General

Black-crested Titmouse: Large titmouse with gray upperparts, pale gray underparts, and rust-brown flanks. Head has black cap and crest, pale gray face, and pale eye-ring. Wings and tail are gray. Sexes are similar. Juvenile is duller.

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.

Breeding and Nesting

Black-crested Titmouse: Four to eight brown spotted, white eggs are laid in a natural cavity, bird box, or woodpecker hole lined with bark, leaves, soft grass, moss, snakeskin, and bits of animal fur. Incubation ranges from 13 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Black-crested Titmouse: Eats insects, spiders, snails, various berries, acorns, and seeds. Forages in trees, sometimes upside down; often in mixed species flocks

Readily Eats

Suet, Sunflower Seed

Vocalization

Black-crested Titmouse: Song is a bold, high-pitched, whistled "peter, peter; peter" or "peto,peto,peto." Call varies from high-pitched, thin squeaky notes to low, harsh, fussy scolding notes.

Similar Species

Black-crested Titmouse: Tufted Titmouse, Juniper Titmouse, and Oak Titmouse lack black crest. Bridled Titmouse has black mask and throat.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Black-crested Titmouse

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.

● Song: "peto,peto,peto", "peter-peter-peter"

● Foraging & Feeding: Black-crested Titmouse: Eats insects, spiders, snails, various berries, acorns, and seeds. Forages in trees, sometimes upside down; often in mixed species flocks

● Breeding & nesting: Black-crested Titmouse: Four to eight brown spotted, white eggs are laid in a natural cavity, bird box, or woodpecker hole lined with bark, leaves, soft grass, moss, snakeskin, and bits of animal fur. Incubation ranges from 13 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Black-crested Titmouse: Tufted Titmouse, Juniper Titmouse, and Oak Titmouse lack black crest. Bridled Titmouse has black mask and throat.

Flight Pattern

Weak fluttering short flights with shallow rapid wing beats., Flittering flight with several quick wing beats alternating with wings drawn to sides, then repeated.

Black-crested Titmouse Body Illustration

● Range & 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.

^BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester

^Population

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight0.8 Ounces

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Cap

The area on top of the head of the bird.

Crest

Tufts of feathers on the head of the bird.

Face

The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America