The bridled titmouse (''Baeolophus wollweberi'') is a small

songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 500 ...

, a

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in the tit family Paridae. These birds range from 11.5 – 12.7 cm. (4.5 to 5 in.) long. It is small, crested and gray with a black and white patterned face, a black bib. Its crest is boarded with black and white (sometimes gray) underparts. A standard nest ranges from 5 – 9 eggs colored white, speckled, or reddish brown.Book of North American Birds. Pleasantville: Reader's Digest, 1990. pg 232. Print. Their preferred habitat are oak or oak-juniper mixed woodland riparian areas of mountains in eastern and southeastern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

– (the

Mogollon Plateau The Mogollon Plateau or Mogollon Mesa ( or ) is a pine-covered southern plateau section of the larger Colorado Plateau in east-central Arizona and west-central New Mexico, United States. The southern boundary of the plateau is the Mogollon Rim. The ...

and White Mountains of Arizona), and extreme southwestern

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

– (the

Madrean sky islands The Madrean Sky Islands are enclaves of Madrean pine–oak woodlands, found at higher elevations in a complex of small mountain ranges in southern and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. The sky islands are sur ...

region of the eastern

Sonora Desert The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Arizona ...

) in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to southern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. They

nest A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic materia ...

in a hole in a

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

, either a natural cavity or sometimes an old

woodpecker Woodpeckers are part of the bird family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks, and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar, and the extreme polar regions. ...

nest found 4 – 28 ft. off the ground. They line the nest with soft materials. Usually built from loose cups of cottonwood down, stems, leaves, and grass. These birds are permanent residents and may join small mixed flocks in winter. They forage actively on branches, sometimes on the ground, mainly eating insects, especially caterpillars, but also seeds, nuts and berries. They will store food for later use. The song is usually described as a whistled ''pidi-pidi-pidi-pidi''. They make a variety of different sounds, most having a similar tone quality.

References

External links

Bridled titmouse photo
eNature
RangeMaps & synopsis
InfoNatura NatureServe

VIREO {{Taxonbar, from=Q2888535

bridled titmouse The bridled titmouse (''Baeolophus wollweberi'') is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. These birds range from 11.5 – 12.7 cm. (4.5 to 5 in.) long. It is small, crested and gray with a black and white patterned f ...

Mogollon Rim White Mountains (Arizona) Native birds of the Southwestern United States Birds of Mexico Birds of the Sierra Madre Occidental Birds of the Sierra Madre del Sur Birds of the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt