The Titmouse's Diet

The tufted titmouse is part of the chickadee family and often cavorts with flocks of chickadees as well as nuthatches in the winter. The diet of this small songbird consists mostly of invertebrates and seeds.

  1. Insect Diet

    • A titmouse will consume as many insects as it can catch in spring and summer, with caterpillars, wasps, treehoppers and ants popular food items. Titmice can hang in an upside-down position and catch bugs.

    Food Stores

    • The titmouse will eat nuts and seeds in the fall and winter, selecting large seeds whenever possible. It will forage at bird feeders in the late fall and winter, with the intention of both eating and storing food. The bird will take seeds one at a time to a hiding place, usually within about 130 feet of the feeder. After taking the shell off the seeds, it will put them in the crevices of the bark of trees such as maples and oaks.

    Process

    • Lacking a strong bill such as finches possess, the titmouse must hammer upon a seed to get at its edible contents. The bird does this by grasping the seed with its tiny feet and then hitting it repeatedly with its beak. Seeds that fall to the ground are not lost; the titmouse will hop down and eventually find and eat them.