First impressions can be misleading
Things are not always as they appear. Today, I will address a little, gray-colored bird that is so often a visitor to people’s backyard bird feeders. It’s small size suggests that it is a baby bird, which is in keeping with the fact that it is seen at the height of the bird nesting season.
The most notable attribute is the pointed crest of feathers on the top of its noggin, not so very unlike what you see on a cardinal. The color is out of whack for it to be a baby cardinal, but people give that fact very little pause because they assume that a baby bird would not necessarily have to be colored the same as its parents.
Looks can be deceiving.
Why people do not think that the little bird is a baby blue jay, I have never been able to fathom. “Baby cardinal” is the pronouncement that I hear time and time again. Blue jays have a pointed crest on top of their head, not unlike the cardinals. Nevertheless, the common public opinion is that the little gray-colored bird is a baby cardinal.
Close, but there is no winner.
Far too many people are misidentifying that small, gray-colored bird. In truth, it is a tufted titmouse. Its small size is misleading. That is as big as the adults get to be. They nest inside old, abandoned nesting holes of woodpeckers, so the small size is of crucial importance.
If you are one of those thoughtful, friendly people who have installed bluebird nest boxes in your home’s backyard, you might be pleasantly surprised to discover that the tufted titmouse has taken note of your goodwill and has built its nest inside that birdhouse. The definitive characteristic that gives away its identification as being that of a tufted titmouse is the fact that this bird always lines the nest cup with animal fur — which is often plucked out of the tail of a sleeping raccoon! YEEEOW!
Neil Garrison was the longtime naturalist at a central Oklahoma nature center.