How to Spot a Juniper Titmouse

The Juniper Titmouse is a small, gray colored bird of the United States Great Basin. Until recently, the Juniper Titmouse and the Oak Titmouse comprised the Plain Titmouse species.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Look for the Juniper Titmouse in the western and southwestern parts of the United States. Year-round, the Juniper Titmouse lives in the Great Basin area of the United States from southern Idaho and Oregon to New Mexico, eastern California and Arizona. You may also spot the Juniper Titmouse in extreme western Texas and northeastern Mexico. The Juniper Titmouse prefers to live in open woodlands, especially pinyon-juniper woodlands.

2. Pay attention to the size of the Juniper Titmouse. This particular bird is small, measuring approximately 5 inches in length. The Juniper Titmouse weighs between .46 and .81 oz., and has a wingspan of approximately 8 inches.

3. Observe the appearance of the Juniper Titmouse. This bird is gray, with the underparts of the bird having a lighter gray color. The Juniper Titmouse has a small tuft of feathers on its head. It has a long, dark, fan-shaped tail and rounded wings. The bill and the eyes of the Juniper Titmouse are both dark in color.

4. Listen to the song and the call of the Juniper Titmouse. (See link in Resources.) The Juniper Titmouse's call is scratchy and raspy and resembles a "tsicka-dee" sound. The song contains a series of notes in a rolling pattern.

5. Watch the flight pattern of the Juniper Titmouse. This bird often appears to flutter during flight. The Juniper Titmouse flies only short distances at a time and exhibits rapid and shallow wing beats during flight.

Tips & Warnings

• It's easy to confuse the Juniper Titmouse with the Oak Titmouse. The Oak Titmouse has a lower pitched call and is slightly smaller than the Juniper Titmouse.

Resources

• Listen to the sounds of the Juniper Titmouse.