Black-crested Titmouse

birds · crested · songbirds · North America

Fancy black crest. The black-crested titmouse has a sharp, pointed black crest on its head that makes it look extra fancy and helps other birds recognize it right away.

Lives in the south. You can find these birds in Mexico and in the U.S. states of Oklahoma and Texas, where they hang out in trees and shrubs.

Part of the tit family. The black-crested titmouse belongs to the family Paridae, which includes chickadees and all kinds of tits, all known for being super smart and active little birds.

Songbirds with attitude. These are passerine birds, which means they're perching birds with special feet for gripping branches and making loud, cheerful calls.

Rare visitor elsewhere. Once in a while, a black-crested titmouse shows up in other states as a vagrant, which means it wandered way farther from home than usual.