The Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) is a common songbird found throughout the deciduous forests and suburban areas of eastern North America. As a non-migratory, year-round resident, this small bird must maintain highly flexible dietary habits. The titmouse is an omnivore, skillfully switching between animal matter and plant matter. This ability to adapt its feeding strategy is fundamental to its success in various environments.
Primary Natural Diet
When foraging, the Tufted Titmouse relies heavily on animal matter, particularly during warmer months. Invertebrates form the bulk of their summer diet, providing the high protein necessary for breeding and molting. These include various insects (caterpillars, wasps, ants, beetles, and scale insects), spiders, and small snails. Titmice actively glean these protein sources from the foliage and bark of trees.
Titmice also consume plant-based foods, especially in fall and winter. They forage for small wild seeds, nuts, and berries directly from trees and shrubs. Notable plant foods include acorns, beechnuts, sumac, and wild cherry fruits.
Foraging and Caching Behavior
The Tufted Titmouse employs an active foraging style, often hanging upside down to investigate the undersides of branches and leaves. They use their stout bills to probe crevices and bark for hidden insects and eggs. This searching is paired with scatter-caching, where they store food items for later consumption.
When a titmouse finds a large item, such as a seed or insect, it carries it to a nearby perch to process it. They secure the food with their feet and use their bill to repeatedly strike it—a technique called “pounding”—to open the shell or break it into pieces. They often shell seeds before hiding them in bark crevices, moss, or soil.
Preferred Feeder Foods
Backyard bird feeders offer a supplementary source of high-energy food, particularly when natural food is scarce. Titmice prefer items with high fat and protein content.
Black oil sunflower seeds are consistently the favorite, as the birds prefer the largest seeds they can find to cache. Suet is beneficial during cold winter months for its concentrated fat energy. Shelled or cracked peanuts and peanut pieces rank highly due to their nutritional density. Titmice also consume mealworms, safflower, and sometimes Nyjer seeds. They typically prefer platform or hopper feeders, but they will also visit suet cages and tube feeders.
Seasonal Shifts in Feeding
The proportions of the Tufted Titmouse’s diet change throughout the year based on resource availability and life stage demands. During the breeding season in spring and summer, their diet consists of up to 90% animal matter. This heavy reliance on insects and invertebrates is necessary for raising young.
Nestlings are fed an almost exclusive diet of soft-bodied insects and spiders, which are easily digestible and rich in protein. As temperatures drop and insects become dormant, the diet shifts significantly to plant matter, relying on cached food, seeds, and nuts. In mid-winter, plant-based foods can account for over 70% of their intake.