CLIPBOARD : BREEDING BIRDS: PLAIN TITMOUSE (Parus inornatus)

Description: Small with a gray-brown back; crested tuft on forehead. Habitat: Favors oak woodland. Diet: Mostly acorns and a few spiders. Nest: Female selects nest site, usually a natural or woodpecker-excavated cavity. Made up of moss and grass, lined with fur and feathers. Eggs: Less than one inch long; white, faintly marked with reddish-browns.

Notes: Pairs are monogamous from year to year; mates are replaced only if they disappear. Breeding bird atlas: To report bird breeding activity in your neighborhood, or to get information on the breeding bird atlas, call Sea and Sage Audubon Society members Sylvia Gallagher, (714) 962-8990, or Nancy Kenyon, (714) 786-3160. Note: Map is divided into 5-kilometer squares so that Audubon Society volunteers can more easily survey areas on a regular basis. Sources: Sea and Sage Audubon Society; “The Birder’s Handbook,” Ehrlich, Dobkin and Wheye, Fireside Books (1988); “Field Guide to the Birds of North America,” National Geographic Society (1987); “Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution,” Garrett and Dunn, Los Angeles Audubon Society (1981).