GRAY BIRDS SEEN IN NORTH AMERICA

Tufted Titmouse 

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Baeolophus Bicolor 

Adults have gray upperparts and darker flight feathers. They have gray erected crest and black forehead. Face and underparts are white, and have rusty flanks.

Eyes are black, with a dark eye ring, giving an impression of large size. Legs are blue-gray. Lores are pale buff.

Both sexes are similar. 

Juveniles resemble adults with paler forehead, upperparts tinged with brownish and grayer chest.

BILL: black, short and powerful.

SIZE: measures about 5.5 - 6.3 inches in length, with a wingspan of 7.9 - 10.2 inches.

WEIGHT: weighs about 18 - 26 grams.

COLOR: gray, black and white.

Insects, spiders, snails, fruits, berries, nuts, and seeds.

Deciduous woods or mixed evergreen- deciduous woods, typically in areas with a dense canopy and many tree species. They are also common in orchards, parks, and suburban areas.

The eastern half of United States.

CALL: Nasal and mechanical. A scratchy, chickadee-like "tsee-day-day- day" is the most common. They also give fussy, scolding call notes and, when predators are sighted, a harsh distress call that warns other titmice of the danger.

SONG: A fast-repeated, clear whistle: "peter-peter-peter". They repeat this up to 11 times in succession or up to 35 songs delivered per minute. Females occasionally sing a quieter version of the song.

NEST: The nest is a cup made with leaves, moss, dried grasses and bark strips. It is lined with feathers, fur, wool, cotton, hair from living mammals, and sometimes snake-skin.

EGGS: 5 - 6 smooth and non-glossy whitish eggs, speckled and spotted with varied colors.

INCUBATION: 12 - 14 days, female fed by the male.

FLEDGLING PHASE: 15 - 16 days.

They are noisy birds and very active. They are dominant at feeders, chasing away other small birds. They are acrobatic foragers and often flock with chickadees, nuthatches, and woodpeckers

The oldest known wild Tufted Titmouse was at least 13 years, 3 months old.



SOURCES:
https://www.birds-of-north-america.net
https://en.wikipedia.org
https://www.allaboutbirds.org
http://www.oiseaux-birds.com
https://www.sdakotabirds.com