Tufted Titmice in Illinois

Tufted Titmouses live in Illinois all year. Cold, windy winters in the north; the southern tip is milder and hosts more wintering species. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward acorns and beechnuts; sunflower, peanuts and suet at feeders.

Humid continental, grading from the Lake Michigan shore and prairie north to the forested Shawnee Hills in the south.

Across Illinois, tufted titmice typically nest from April–June. Nest site: natural cavities and old woodpecker holes; uses nest boxes. Females lay 3–9 eggs, incubate for 12–14 days, and young leave the nest after 15–16 days.

Hot, humid summers; much of the state is farmland, so backyard native plantings matter.

• Have boxes cleaned and mounted before March — tufted titmice begin prospecting ahead of egg-laying.
• Use a 1 1/4 in round entrance on a 4 × 4 in floor, mounted 5–15 ft.
• Fit a pole baffle or hole guard; ventilation gaps and drainage holes are essential.
• Clean out old nests after each brood and again after June.

Of the regional native plants we track for Illinois, these 8 provide food or cover tufted titmice use:

Titmice favor large seeds, carrying them off to hammer open or cache within about 130 ft of the feeder.

• Best foods: Black-oil sunflower, Shelled peanuts, Suet.
• In Illinois's winter: Cold, windy winters in the north; the southern tip is milder and hosts more wintering species.

Full diet breakdown for tufted titmice · Best feeder for tufted titmice