Oak Titmice are small to medium-sized songbirds. Their gray heads have a brownish tuft or crest, their bills are short and black, and their black, beady eyes stand out on their gray heads. Their backs and wings are light brown and their underparts, legs, and feet are gray.
The American Ornithologists’ Union separated the Plain Titmouse into Oak Titmouse and Juniper Titmouse in 1996. The Oak Titmouse is more brown than gray compared to the Juniper Titmouse but under different lighting you may not be able to see the difference. What is distinct though are their preferred habitats, songs, and genetic makeup.
- Baeolophus inornatus
- Length: 5.25 in (13 cm)
- Weight: 0.7 oz (20 g)
- Wingspan: 7.5 in (19 cm)
Range
Oak titmice are only found along the southwestern Pacific coast from northern Mexico to Oregon.
Habitat And Diet
You can find Oak Titmice in open, dry woodlands with plenty of oaks (hence their name). They also stay near streamside cottonwoods, and forest edges as long as oak trees are present. There are instances when there are no oaks so they make do with juniper or pine trees in open forests.
Oak Titmice usually forage in trees on twigs, branches, trunks, and leaves. They sometimes also forage on the ground and visit backyard feeders. They use their stout bill to probe under bark and crevices in order to capture their prey.
They eat insects and spiders, sometimes catching them in mid-air. They collect berries, acorns, and other seeds. Hard to crack seeds require them to bang the seeds on branches to open them.
Oak Titmouse Call:
Nests
Nests of Oak Titmice are often repurposed woodpecker holes, natural cavities in tree stumps, and pipes and eaves. The female goes around the nesting site with the males in search of the perfect location. When she finds a suitable location, she may still excavate it further to her liking.
Both male and female Oak Titmice look for and gather materials for building the nest. They collect grass, moss, hair, and feathers in addition to shredded bark, straw, twigs, rope, rootlets, and woodchips. The female lays three to nine eggs and incubates them for around two weeks.
Attract Oak Titmice
Attract Oak Titmice to your backyard by preparing nest boxes with suet, peanut butter, and sunflower seeds. They prefer to feed on raised trays rather than ground feeders and appreciate good tree cover.
Fun Fact:
A group of titmice is collectively called “banditry” or a “dissimulation” of titmice.
