Juniper Titmouse

The Juniper Titmouse is a very tiny plain gray bird with prominent and considerably cute black eyes. The lack of pretty colors doesn’t make the bird dull. Rather a tuft of feisty feather on the head that looks like a spiky hairstyle and a fickle personality makes these little birds very fascinating.

About Juniper Titmice

These birds have are easier to find as their scratchy chatters can be heard all year long in the pinyon-juniper forests in the interior west. Even though the Juniper Titmouse looks very similar to the Oak Titmouse and can be confused easily, thanks to the choice of habitats, these birds are pretty distinguishable.

As a matter of fact, Juniper Titmice and Oak Titmice were considered to be one single species and were commonly known as Plain Titmice but later, it was found out that the two species don’t just live in different habitats but also have some genetic differences even though they were closely related. And thus, these two species were divided and renamed after their preferred habitats.

Juniper Titmice come from the family of Paridae and are commonly found in the woodlands of the Great Basin and the upper Sonoran zone. These tiny birds are a low-risk species. The population of these birds has been stable across their range between the years 1966 and 2015. The total breeding population of Juniper Titmice is estimated to be somewhere around 180,000 among which 99% live in the United States and 1% in Mexico. Even though there has been no actual threat to these birds, one of the potential dangers of them can be habitat alteration including removal of trees for fuel and conversion of the pine forests to pastures.

Although Juniper Titmice are primarily insectivorous, these birds are non-migratory and they spend their winters eating the seeds they have hoarded all year long. Don’t these feisty little birds seem interesting enough to know more about them? So let’s learn a little more!

● Juniper Titmouse Photos, Color Pattern, Song
● Juniper Titmouse Size, Eating behavior, Habitat
● Juniper Titmouse Range and Migration, Nesting

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Juniper Titmouse Color Pattern

Juniper Titmice are prominently gray in color. The above part is a darker shade of solid gray color while the underbelly is paler gray. The tiny bulgy eyes of these birds are shiny and black. These eyes stand out the most on their overall gray bodies giving them a look that is considerably cute. The bill can be described as fairly blackish while the legs are a scheme of dark gray to black.

Description and Identification

Juniper Titmice are fairly easier to identify because of their gray color, a tuft of hair on the head, and their dark black eyes that stand out. Even though these can be easily confused with similar species including the Oak Titmice, Tufted Titmice, and the Bushtits, they are still fairly easy to be identified as they are found predominantly in the pinyon pine and Juniper forests around the year.

These small songbirds have a long body, short neck, and a medium-length tail which makes them look bigger than they actually are. The scratchy songs of Juniper Titmice also make it easier to spot them. These birds are often seen hanging upside down acrobatically from the pinyon pine trees and the juniper trees thanks to their strong legs. Their nests are also a factor of identification as they make cavities in the mature tree trunks for their nests and storage.

Juniper Titmouse Song

Juniper Titmice sing all year long as they are non-migratory and tend to stick to their breeding grounds during the cold winters. But these birds sing more frequently in the seasons of spring and summer.

The songs of these birds typically contain 5 to 15 syllables which make the song almost sound like a video game’s background music. The rapid-fire song of Juniper Titmice lasts up to 3 seconds and is pretty rapid and rolling.

The most frequently heard sound is the harsh and scratchy noise that these birds make as a reply to intruders. They also make these noises to maintain contact with their mate during foraging. Juniper Titmice occasionally give out a 3 syllable call that sounds more like their songs.

Juniper Titmouse Size

The size of Juniper Titmice is considerably small. Relatively, these birds are bigger than a Bushtit but smaller than a Dark-eyed Junco. These birds measure around 5.75 inches lengthwise and have a wingspan of 9 inches while weighing only a good 10-22 grams. Their long body, short neck, a pointy tuft of head feathers, and a medium tail do contribute to making them look bigger in size. The size and weight are almost similar for both male and female birds.

Juniper Titmouse Behavior

Although the color of the Juniper Titmice is considered pretty dull, the fickle personality of the bird makes up for it. These birds are often seen hopping and taking swift flights.

The Juniper Titmouse holds the title of being the acrobat of the pinyon pine forests. The strong legs and a strong grip help them hang upside down from thin naked branches while foraging for insects and seeds. The fast and rolling chirping helps contribute to the interesting personality of these birds.

These birds pry open seeds with their strong bills by hammering them on the branches. The pairs formed in the first years of their lives last till the end as these birds are strictly monogamous. These birds defend their territories and generally avoid flocking with other species during the winters. When intruded or disturbed, Juniper Titmice threaten the intruder by raising their crests and calling harshly.

What do Juniper Titmice Eat?

Juniper Titmice generally have a primary diet of insects. These insects include spiders, beetles, caterpillars, leafhoppers, flies, and many more. These birds also have a diet of seeds, especially pinyon pine seeds and other plant materials like nuts, small berries, acorns, weed seeds etcetera. Being non-migratory in nature, these birds hoard seeds all year long and save them to get through the cold winters when the insects and fresh plant materials are not available anymore.

Juniper Titmouse Habitat

Being a habitat specialist, Juniper Titmice lives in dry open pinyon-juniper woodlands of the Great Basin and the upper Sonoran Zone. These birds mostly live at an elevation of 2250-8000 ft. with Sagebrush, Joshua tree, or some other species of Shrubs. As older and mature trees have more cavities to be used as nests, these birds tend to stick to the old Juniper and Pinyon pine trees.

Range and Migration

Juniper Titmice are non-migratory resident birds; which means they do not migrate and stay in their breeding ground around the year. No matter what season it is, these birds stick to their permanent habitat and survive even the coldest winters in their range.

The range of these birds falls into the interior parts of the west which includes the states of California, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas.

Juniper Titmouse Lifecycle

The female bird builds a cup-like nest inside the cavity of the tree using grass, shredded bark, moss, feather, and animal hair. The building of the nest takes around 6-10 days.

The clutch size for these birds is around 4 to 7 eggs. These eggs are usually white with slight speckles of faint reddish-brown. The female bird incubates the eggs alone. The female bird is very protective of the eggs and refuses to leave the nest during the incubation period. If disturbed, the female gets angry and hisses like a snake. These eggs are very tiny and measure only around 0.6 to 0.8 inches. The incubation period is nearly 14 to 16 days. The hatchlings are helpless and smalls. Both the male and the female feed the hatchlings. The nestling period for these youngsters is 16 to 21 days and the brood number is only once per breeding season.

Predators such as Woodhouse’s Scrub-jay and snakes eat eggs and nestlings of Juniper Titmice.

Nesting

Nesting of Juniper Titmice usually happens inside the natural cavities of old Juniper or pinyon pine trees. They also nest inside old woodpecker holes and nest boxes. Generally, the female selects the cavity for nesting. The role of the male bird is still unknown but there is evidence that they help in enlarging smaller cavities for their use. The female also builds the nest cup inside the cavity. The nest has a foundation of grass, weeds, moss, shredded bark, etc. Complete with an inner lining of softer material like bird feathers or animal hair.

Anatomy of a Juniper Titmouse

Juniper Titmice have an overall small structure. The body is the longest part, the neck is small and the tail is medium size. These birds have strong legs with curled toes and sharp nails to clutch on to pine and juniper branches. The wings are strong enough to complement the fickle and hoppy personality of the bird and the swift acrobatic flights it takes. The tiny round dark black eyes that shine in the soft daylight stand out in the overall gray color of this bird. Juniper Titmice have dark-colored bills that are round and fairly strong to break nuts, acorns and seeds. The tufts of feathers on the heads of these birds give them an overall feisty looks that compensates well for the dull colors.

Final Thoughts

These little birds may be gray in color but are obviously not gray in nature. Full of personality and feisty looks, these birds are also not very shy. Juniper Titmice are the feeder’s best friends as they regularly come to bird feeders for seeds, bird food, and nuts. These commonly found nonmigratory birds are fairy cute with their 15 syllable songs and pretty interesting to know about.

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for Identifying Juniper Titmice

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Juniper Titmice are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Juniper Titmouse Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Juniper Titmouse. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders For Juniper Titmice

There are many types of bird feeders. Here are our favorite bird feeders for your backyard. We use all of these bird feeders currently. Kids will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. Using this collection of bird feeders will provide a wide variety and many types of birds.

Best Bird Houses For Juniper Titmice

There are many types of bird houses. Building a bird house is always fun but can be frustrating. Getting a bird house for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. If you spend a little extra money on bird houses, it will be well worth every penny and they’ll look great.

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