June 24, 2010 What is Different about Titmice?

This time of year, in my yard, there are lots of fledgling birds. They are easy to recognize, slightly smaller, less vibrant in plumage, tentative in their actions, They visit my feeders for an easy meal. Juncos, Chickadees, Carolina Wrens, and Downy Woodpeckers. Bluebirds come too, but it is usually momma or papa coming in for a something they don’t have to give to the brood. The House Finches are very orderly. The male leads the young to the feeders. As time progresses he stops short and directs them. Pointing the way and egging on with chirp notes. Once at the feeders the battles over pecking order begin. More time is spent sorting out the order than actually eating.

But Tufted Titmice are different. First they are noisy. When they come into the area they are so noisy, you cannot help but notice. You hear the choirs of buzzy “sweet sweet sweet...sweet”. You soon realize it is only about half the individuals who are making this noise. The other Titmice are silent. The fledglings are the noisy ones. The babies look different too. More like the western Plain Titmouse. They have no chestnut patch on their flanks, and lack the darker feathers at the base of their crest or tuft.

They begin staging at feeders. in pairs. One bird feeds, eating sunflower seed after sunflower seed while the other hangs back. “bee bipp, bee ip, bi bip bip” Fluttering its wings in the universal bird signal to beg to be feed. Eventually the bird feeding relents and takes a seed to the begging bird. After eating, it immediately resumes begging but the feeding bird is gone. The begging birds are opportunistic, Sometimes they will leave and pursue a more enticing prospect at another feeder,or if they are not given a seed, will chase the object bird through the trees as they leave the feeders. But the key thing is the pairs. The one to one. Is this parent fledgling? Perhaps older younger sibling? Do the fledglings take turns following the parent around, or is there a community of Titmice that collectively feed the fledgling young? So many questions.

After about 2 weeks things quiet down and this behavior for the most part stops.

The thing I wonder about is why are Tufted Titmice the only species I see doing this? What about their cousins the chickadees. Most passerines fledglings beg food for a while, but none for so long or as dramatically nor vociferously as these Tufted Titmice. Why are they different?