Oak Titmouse Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  Oak Titmice are small songbirds with short, stubby bills, a short crest on the head, and a medium-long tail.

  Relative Size

  Smaller than a Western Bluebird; slightly larger than a Black-throated Gray Warbler.

  sparrow-sized or smaller

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Weight: 0.3-0.7 oz (10-21 g)

  © Ken Chamberlain / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Oak Titmice are plain gray-brown birds. They are slightly darker above than below, and may show a slight buffy wash on the flanks.

• Behavior

  Active and constantly moving, Oak Titmice eat seeds and insects that they glean from bark and leaves. Listen for their rapid, harsh calls from the tops of oaks year-round.
• Habitat

  Oak Titmice are strongly tied to oak trees, although they also live in areas of open pine or mixed oak-pine forest. The species is almost entirely restricted to dry slopes in California, though it ranges north to Oregon and south to Baja California as well.