Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
Paridae
The chickadee's bold, crested cousin. Soft gray above, pale below, with a prominent pointed crest and big dark eyes ringed in white. Titmice are curious, vocal, and remarkably calm around humans — they'll investigate you if you stand still under their tree.
How to spot one.
5.5–6.3 inches — bigger than a chickadee
Soft gray above, pale gray-white below
Rusty flanks under the wings
Prominent pointed crest
Large dark eye in a white face
What it sounds like.
Clear whistled 'peter-peter-peter' repeated persistently. Also a scolding 'tsee-day-day-day' similar to chickadees.
How it lives.
Joins mixed winter flocks with chickadees and nuthatches. Caches food in bark crevices. Pulls hair from live animals (deer, squirrels, sometimes humans) to line its nest. Cavity nester — uses old woodpecker holes and nest boxes.
The spec sheet.
- Status
- Year-round resident
- Size
- 5.5–6.3 inches
- Present in NJ
- Year-round
- Native to NJ
- Yes
- Conservation status
- stable
- Family
- Paridae
What it eats.
Diet often shifts dramatically between breeding season and the rest of the year — especially for insectivorous birds that pivot to native berries in fall and winter.
Summer / breeding season
Caterpillars (dominant nestling food)
Wasps, beetles, true bugs, sawfly larvae
Scale insects, spiders
Some berries
Fall / winter
Cached seeds and nuts
Acorns and beechnuts hammered open
Sunflower seeds at feeders
Berries persistent into winter
What it needs.
Native plants that feed this bird or provide shelter. Names in hydrangea link to the plant’s Field Guide entry.
Native oaks (Quercus)
Larval host tree (feeds caterpillars)
Wild black cherry
Larval host tree (feeds caterpillars)
American beech
Fruit / berry source
Larval host tree (feeds caterpillars)
Audubon Field Guide · Lake Hopatcong Foundation
Other year-round residents.
- StYear-round residentNative · NJ
American Goldfinch
Spinus tristis
New Jersey's state bird. Males in summer are dazzling — brilliant lemon-yellow with black wings and cap; in winter, both sexes fade to a subtle olive-…
- CcYear-round residentNative · NJ
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
One of the most familiar backyard birds in New Jersey — and one of the few that stays through the coldest months. Males are unmistakably brilliant red…
- CcYear-round residentNative · NJ
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
The loud, brilliantly blue crested jay that most people either love or resent. Blue Jays are arguably the most ecologically important yard bird in New…