Cavity-Nesting Birds of North American Forests: Agriculture Handbook 511Scott, Virgil E.
Science
Cavity-Nesting Birds of North American Forests: Agriculture Handbook 511
Scott, Virgil E.
Birds -- Nests; Birds -- North America; Cavity-nesting birds -- North America; Forest birds -- North America
[Illustration]
Habitat: The tufted titmouse is the largest North American titmouse and
is common throughout the eastern deciduous woodlands. These active and
vocal birds are generally found in groups of 2 to 6 in thick timber
stands, often near water (Gillespie 1930). The black-crested titmouse,
found in southern Texas and northeastern Mexico, is now considered
conspecific with the tufted titmouse (33rd supplement, A.O.U.
Checklist).
Nest: Nests of the tufted titmouse are very difficult to locate and are
not often reported in the literature. Published accounts indicate that
these birds nest in abandoned woodpecker holes or natural cavities
usually less than 20 feet above the ground. While titmice are quite
conspicuous in late fall and winter, they tend to disappear in late
spring to nest and molt (Gillespie 1930, Laskey 1957).
Food: The diets of tufted titmice change seasonally. In spring and
summer they eat primarily animal matter (89 percent and 82 percent
respectively) and spend most of their feeding time in the tree tops.
Caterpillars often make up over 50 percent of the animal matter. Common
winter foods consist of beechnuts, acorns, dogwood berries, Virginia
creeper berries, alder seeds, honeysuckle, seeds of tulip-tree pods. In
winter, they spend a larger percentage of their feeding time on or near
the ground (Gillespie 1930, Martin et al. 1951).
Plain titmouse
_Parus inornatus_
L 5″
[Illustration]
Habitat: Oak and pinyon-juniper woodlands from 5,000 to 7,000 feet
elevation from Oregon south and west to Texas and New Mexico are the
favored habitat of the plain titmouse.
Nest: Plain titmice usually nest in natural cavities or old woodpecker
holes. Most reported nests have been in oaks, 2 to 23 feet above ground
(Bent 1946). Nest boxes are used when available (Wetmore 1964).
Food: Beal (Bent 1946) examined the contents of 76 stomachs and found 43
percent animal material (true bugs 12 percent, caterpillars 11 percent,
beetles 7 percent, ants and wasps 6 percent, daddy longlegs and
grasshoppers 5 percent, spiders 1 percent, and 1 percent unreported) and
57 percent vegetable matter (cherries and pulp of larger fruit and leaf
galls 32 percent, seeds of poison oak and weeds 25 percent).
Bridled titmouse
_Parus wollweberi_
L 4½″
[Illustration]
Habitat: Bridled titmice prefer chaparral and pinyon-juniper in the
Southwest at elevations from 5,000 to 7,000 feet. This titmouse also
uses areas along streams where cottonwoods are present (Phillips et al.
1964).
Nest: Almost all nest locations have been recorded in natural cavities
of dead and living oak trees from 4 to 28 feet above the ground (Bent
1946).
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