Little Liar?

text and photos : Norma A. Hubbard (December 2024)

Do birds have personalities? We often project human traits onto birds based on their looks and behaviors. Who hasn’t thought of the Bluejay as bossy because of the way it swoops onto our feeders scattering all the other birds, or Chickadees as sweet because they are tiny, and often land on our hands to eat seeds. One little bird, who seems as sweet as the Chickadee, has managed to earn a rather bad reputation as a little liar. Who is this poor bird and why has it earned such a reputation? It is the cute little Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) – even its name doesn’t seem to suit a liar.

According to the American Bird Conservancy, the Tufted Titmouse’s name derives from the Old English words ‘tit’ and ‘mase’, basically meaning ‘small bird’. Somehow over time, mase was turned into mouse. Hence the funny name for a bird.

Tufted Titmice – and yes, we say Titmice and not Titmouses which is technically more correct – are territorial, and generally stay in the same area all year with their mates. However, during the cold months of winter, they often gather with Chickadees, who are considered cousins as both are members of the same scientific family, Paridae. Currently three Titmice are with our Chickadees. Most likely the third Titmouse is an offspring who will leave in the spring come breeding season to find its own territory. Each pair will have only one brood a season with three to nine eggs. The female is responsible for most of the upbringing of the chicks. Sadly, due to predators, many do not survive making the average life expectancy about 2 years, which is not long considering the oldest Tufted Titmouse on record lived for 13 years. Nonetheless, their numbers are growing, and they are listed as of Least Concern on the environmental scale.

Tufted Titmice are slightly larger, and definitely louder than Chickadees. They can be quite vocal and will join in a vocal ‘fight’ to help other birds against a predator. One of their songs sounds like “Peter, Peter, Peter”. They have a ‘tuft’ of feathers on the head, like Bluejays or Cardinals, giving them a distinctive silhouette compared to Chickadees. Titmice are common visitors to birdfeeders and love sunflower seeds; although the Titmouse is known to take the biggest seed it can find, even acorns, which is a tough nut for their little bills to crack! In addition to seeds and berries, Titmice eat plenty of bugs, including caterpillars, ants, wasps, spiders, and snails, so they are a welcome visitor to any garden.

I saw my first Tufted Titmouse in 2012. It was several years before I saw another one, and now it seems to be a regular at the feeder. With climate change, this once southern bird, now includes southern Quebec and Ontario as part of its northern range. Tufted Titmice inhabit areas of mature forests, so letting trees grow, and also allowing dead trees to remain provide a place for them to nest. Plus keeping a well-stocked birdfeeder will keep them in our yards in the winter. On the other hand, do we want to attract these birds who are known liars? Or are they?

Well, according to Cherokee myth, “Titmouse was caught lying to the people about how to kill a monster that was preying on them, while Chickadee spoke up with the truth.” Henceforth, the “titmouse was associated with lying, tattling, and bragging by the Cherokees.” Over time, since Chickadees and Titmice look and sound so much alike, these birds were used to teach children how difficult it is to recognize a lie from the truth. On the other hand, not all is lost for our poor little liar, because in other cultures, such as Celtic mythology, Tufted Titmice represents “heightened intuition and insight” and a “harbinger of intellectual curiosity and spiritual awakening.” Plus, some Indigenous cultures believe that the Tufted Titmouse symbolizes curiosity, cheerfulness, and resourcefulness. I like this reputation better than that of a liar.

As winter sets in and I put out extra seeds to feed my birds, I will forgive this little liar and welcome it to my home in the true spirit of the holidays as I know this sweet bird brings a bit of cheerfulness to the cold of winter.

Sources [online]: All About Birds, Cornell University; American Bird Conservancy; Animal Omens; Native Languages of the Americas