Black-crested Titmouse
Once thought to be a subspecies of the Tufted Titmouse, the Black-crested Titmouse actually has genetic differences indicating it speciated from its eastern cousin at least 250,000 years ago. However, the two species remain close enough that they hybridize readily in the area where their ranges overlap–an area which includes Austin and Central Texas. This means that many of the birds you see around here will display significant variation in the color of their crests, and can’t rightly be called pure Black-crested or Tufted. While their wide eyes and furtive behavior may bear a passing similarity to field mice, the Titmouse’s name actually has nothing to do with rodents. It comes from the Icelandic word for small, titr, combined with the Anglo-Saxon word masr, which means “small bird”. (Incidentally, this means that the correct plural would be “titmouses” and not “titmice” — but Merriam-Webster lists the latter as correct.)
