SFVAS’s Bird of the Month for June is the Oak Titmouse!
If you’ve spent any time in the oak woodlands of California, you’ve almost certainly heard the Oak Titmouse before you saw it. This little bird isn’t exactly flashy, but what it lacks in color it more than makes up for in personality and sheer volume.
The Oak Titmouse’s most prominent feature is the crest on top of its head, which it raises and lowers with great enthusiasm depending on its mood. The rest of its plumage is a plain, warm gray with no markings to speak of, which somehow makes it even more charming.
Unlike many of the birds we see seasonally, the Oak Titmouse is here year-round. They mate for life and nest in tree cavities, including old woodpecker holes, and can often be found foraging along branches and tree trunks, hunting insects, spiders, acorns, and seeds with impressive agility.
The Sepulveda Basin’s oak woodland habitat is a wonderful place to find them. Just keep your ears open for that scratchy, distinctive call.
