titmouse, common name for members of the Paridae, a family of
passerine birds, which includes the tits, titmice, and
chickadees. They are small, active birds with short, pointed
bills and strong legs. Their soft, thick plumage is colored in
grays and browns, occasionally highlighted by black and white or
blue and yellow. Titmice are found chiefly in the Northern
Hemisphere and also in Asia and Africa. They are adaptable and
can be taught to perform tricks. In the wild, titmice travel in
mixed flocks with nuthatches, creepers, kinglets, and
woodpeckers, feeding mostly on small insects but also on seeds,
fruits, and berries. Typical of the family are the blackcapped
chickadee, Parus atricapillus, of the NE United States, the
nearly identical Carolina chickadee of the South, and the
similar willow tit of Europe and the British Isles. Some titmice
have crests, e.g., the crested tit of Eurasia and the tufted
titmouse, Lophophanes bicolor, a mouse-gray bird with rust side
patches common in the E United States. Thes