Tufted Titmouse – ForagingBaeolophus bicolor September – Texas L=6.5” ...... WS=9.75” ...... WT=0.75 oz Order: Passeriformes (Passerine Birds) Family: Paridae (Chickadees and Titmice) Tufted Titmice are active, noisy birds common in the Eastern U.S. that are expanding their range northward. This small bird constantly hops and flies between branches as it forages and forages on the ground more frequently than other titmice or chickadees.
Window Collision Deaths – White-winged Dove after colliding with window December – Texas At least 100 million birds and possibly as many as 1 billion die in the U.S. each year after colliding with windows. The problem is increasing as window and house sizes are increasing. Finding a solution that is acceptable to humans is not easy. For example, the Cornell Ornithology Lab suggests putting netting over windows, putting one way film on windows to make them appear opaque from the outside, painting stripes on the windows and a variety of similar solutions. These may work and be acceptable to some homeowners but do not seem to be a realistic solution for multi-story commercial structures. Another approach has been pursued at Swarthmore College - etching small circles in the glass. Indications are that this approach is effective and the distraction to humans is acceptable. When humans see a bird that has died from striking a window, the neck is most often extended and it is assumed the bird died of a broken neck. Usually, however, death is caused by a concussion. The appearance of the dead bird is related to the fact that birds have long and flexible necks.
