Small gray bird with white belly at feeder

Are titmice year-round in Michigan? ~ East Lansing, MI

Male and female titmice look alike to the human eye. Their feathers are all gray on the back, and the belly is a lighter gray or white. On the sides of their belly is a little blush of chestnut feathers. They also have unforgettable big black eyes and a black bill which is accented with black feathers on the forehead. They can pop a gray tuft of feathers up on the top of their head when singing or posturing for position at the feeder.

The Tufted Titmouse is a year-round resident of Michigan and other eastern United States with mixed deciduous-coniferous forests. They eat a variety of bugs like caterpillars, beetles, wasps, ants, bees, treehoppers, and spiders. At the feeders they like sunflower seeds, nuts, suet and mealworms.

Tufted Titmice are monogamous, forming pairs that can last years. Once they've chosen a territory they stay and defend it year round. They look for natural cavities usually made by woodpeckers and sometimes bird houses to build their nests.

Daddy titmouse feeds the his female partner while she's incubating eggs and also the young when they hatch. Once the babies have grown, the juvenile titmice may remain with their parents on their natal territory during the winter months, forming a family flock. Or juveniles may leave the territory and join unrelated family units.

In early spring, most young disperse from their winter flocks, establish territories, find mates, and begin to breed. However some offspring  may remain even longer on their natal territories to help their parents raise their siblings. 

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