How to Attract Tufted Titmice to Your Backyard
The tufted titmouse is a small gray bird with a perky crest and big dark eyes, found year-round across the eastern US. It often travels with chickadees and acts much like them, so the same setup works for both.
What titmice eat
Titmice love black-oil sunflower, shelled peanuts and suet. Like chickadees, they often take a single seed away to open it or hide it for later.
If you only buy one seed, make it black-oil sunflower. It's high in fat, has a thin shell small birds can open, and nearly every seed-eating bird loves it.
Check price on Amazon for Wagner's Black Oil Sunflower Seed (opens Amazon)High-fat suet cakes that fit standard suet cages. Woodpeckers, nuthatches and chickadees rely on fat like this to get through cold nights.
Check price on Amazon for C&S Hi-Energy Suet Cakes (opens Amazon)The feeders titmice like
Tube and hopper feeders both work well. A squirrel-proof tube protects the sunflower without getting in the titmouse's way.
The same weight-activated idea in a smaller, cheaper size. A great first squirrel-proof feeder for chickadees, titmice and finches.
Check price on Amazon for Brome Squirrel Buster Standard (opens Amazon)A simple, durable tube feeder that small songbirds love. Easy to fill, easy to clean and built to last for years.
Check price on Amazon for Droll Yankees Classic Tube Feeder (opens Amazon)Nest boxes and nesting material
Titmice nest in tree cavities and will use nest boxes with an entrance hole of about 1 1/4 inches.
They line nests with soft hair and fur, and some even pluck hair from sleeping animals. Leaving clean pet fur (untreated with flea medicine) in a suet cage in spring is a fun way to help.
Keep trees and shrubs
Titmice are woodland birds. Yards with mature trees, and feeders within reach of branches, get the most visits.
Frequently asked questions
Are titmice and chickadees related?
Yes. They belong to the same bird family and often feed together in mixed flocks.
Do titmice migrate?
No. Tufted titmice stay year-round across their range.
Why is the titmouse's range growing?
They've steadily expanded north over the past century, likely helped by milder winters and backyard feeders.
Not sure which feeder fits your yard?
Answer three quick questions and we'll match you with the right setup.