The tufted titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a small songbird found throughout eastern North America. With their prominent crest and slate-gray upperparts, these active and vocal birds are a familiar sight at bird feeders. An important question when studying the titmouse is where they choose to build their nests.
Nesting Habits of the Tufted Titmouse
Tufted titmice nest in natural tree cavities or old woodpecker holes. They typically excavate the interior of the cavity to suit their needs. Tufted titmice are secondary cavity nesters, meaning they don’t excavate their own nest sites but rather rely on existing cavities. This makes dead and dying trees incredibly valuable to them.
Titmice will readily use nest boxes as well. They seem to prefer boxes made of wood rather than metal or plastic. The entrance hole should be 1-1 1⁄4 inches across. They will also use bamboo tubes or sections of PVC pipe capped on one end if hung vertically on a tree.
Tufted titmice are not terribly picky about the height of their nest. They may nest anywhere from eye level up to around 50 feet high. However, they do prefer cavities at least 6-10 feet off the ground. This helps protect their eggs and young from potential predators.
Nest Construction
The female titmouse builds the nest using soft materials such as grasses, stems, mosses, bark, leaves, fur, and feathers. She constructs a somewhat flimsy cup of these materials that is about 6 inches across and 3 inches high. The nest itself fills only about half of the cavity space.
Tufted titmice often line their nests thickly with feathers, particularly those plucked from other species. This includes downy feathers snatched directly from other songbirds as they roost. Titmice have even been known to pluck hairs from squirrels and tufts of fur from live rabbits or dogs.
Ideal Nesting Locations
Within their forested breeding range, tufted titmice seek out nesting sites in a variety of wooded areas and woodland edges. This includes:
- Deciduous forests
- Mixed forests
- Pine-oak woodlands
- Swamps and bottomlands
- Parks and residential areas with mature trees
They prefer to nest where there is a combination of dead snags and live trees. The snags provide cavities, while the live trees provide food sources like insects, seeds, and berries.
In one study examining nest site selection in Missouri, tufted titmice chose nesting cavities with the following features:
- Were located in dead trees more often than live trees
- Faced northward directions more often than other orientations
- Had average cavity heights of about 13 feet
- Had average cavity depths of about 16 inches
Interestingly, the availability of food (such as from a bird feeder) does not appear to impact their nest site selection. They seem to be more heavily driven by cavity availability and suitable protective cover.
Geography of Nest Sites
Tufted titmice breed across most of the eastern half of the United States. Here is an overview of where their nests can be found in different parts of their range:
Northeastern States
In northeastern states like Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, and Massachusetts, tufted titmice nest primarily in deciduous forests. This includes areas like maple-beech-birch forests. They also use wooded wetlands, parks, and suburban areas. Overall, they prefer to nest in mature hardwood trees.
Mid-Atlantic and Appalachian States
From coastal areas to the Appalachian mountains, tufted titmice nest in a variety of eastern forest types. This includes oak-hickory forests, pines, and mixed forests. Nest cavities can be found in both dead snags and living trees. They also readily use nest boxes put up in backyards or parks.
Southeastern States
In the southeastern United States, tufted titmice inhabit a wide range of wooded habitats. Bottomland hardwood forests, cypress swamps, pine forests, mixed forests, and oak woodlands all harbor nesting titmice. They are common in both rural and urban/suburban areas.
South Central States
From Texas east to Kentucky and north to Missouri, tufted titmice nest in floodplain forests, oak-hickory woods, pine-oak associations, and parks/suburbs with mature trees. Oak woodlands are a preferred nesting habitat, where they nest in the cavities of live oak and other tree species.
Tree Species Used for Nesting
Tufted titmice are flexible in using a variety of tree species for their nest sites. Here are some of the most commonly used:
Tree Species | Region Where Commonly Used |
---|---|
Oaks such as live oak, red oak, white oak | Throughout breeding range |
Maples | Northeastern states |
Eastern cottonwood | Missouri, eastern Oklahoma, eastern Kansas |
American beech | Northeastern states |
Hickories | Mid-Atlantic and southeastern states |
Birches | Northeastern states |
Ash trees | Throughout range |
Eastern hemlock | Northeastern states |
This list just highlights some of the major tree species used. Tufted titmice will nest in any sufficiently large dead or living tree with an adequate cavity. The availability of nesting sites is more important than the tree species itself.
Cavity Reuse and Defense
Tufted titmice may reuse the same nest cavity across different years and breeding attempts. One study found that up to 43% of nest cavities were reused by titmice if they remained suitable.
Titmouse pairs do not excavate their own nests, but they are very protective of cavity sites they choose to use. They will aggressively defend the cavity and surrounding area from intruders like other titmice, chickadees, or house sparrows.
Nest sites are defended throughout the breeding season. The male tufted titmouse helps guard the cavity before eggs are laid, while the female incubates eggs, and both sexes help defend the nest with young.
Adaptability to Nest Boxes
One of the easiest ways to observe tufted titmice nesting habits is to provide suitable nest boxes. titmice eagerly accept nest boxes, with as many as 77% of boxes being used in some studies.
To attract a nesting pair, place the box in a quiet, semi-open spot near mature trees. Mount it 5-15 feet high tilted slightly downward.Clean out old nesting materials each winter. Once claimed by titmice, they may reuse the box for several years.
With such high use, nest boxes demonstrate the tufted titmouse’s adaptability. They quickly habituate to appropriate artificial cavities within their normal nesting habitat.
Conclusion
In summary, tufted titmice are flexible in their nest site selection across most types of Eastern forests. They require tree cavities but are not very particular about tree species or exact nest height. Snags are vital for natural sites. The titmouse’s ability to reuse cavities and accept nest boxes shows its adaptability. Understanding the tufted titmouse’s nesting ecology helps preserve the resources this species needs to thrive.