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Birds of Yosemite National Park (1954, 1963) by Cyril A. Stebbins and Robert C. Stebbins

TITS: Family Paridae

MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE
MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE
MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE (Parus gambeli): 5-5 3/4 in. Upper parts gray, tinged with brown; top of head and throat black; white line over eye; black line through eye; cheeks and belly white, sides tinged with brown. Call a lisping chick-a-dee-dee or a sweet, clear, high-pitched, plaintive song, phee-dee-dee, the first note considerably higher than the last two. Characteristic of chickadees is the habit of clinging with head downward as they forage at the tips of branches. Nests in natural tree cavities or abandoned woodpecker holes.

Frequents chiefly open coniferous forests or the margins of dense stands, in the high Upper Sonoran to the Hudsonian life zones. R. chiefly in the Canadian and Hudsonian life zones in the Yosemite region but also in the Transition zone. Seen in Yosemite Valley and occasionally nests there.


PLAIN TITMOUSE
PLAIN TITMOUSE
PLAIN TITMOUSE (Parus inornatus): 5-5 1/2 in. Upper parts olive or brownish-gray; under parts lighter; crested; conspicuous dark eye. Wheezy chickadee-like call. Nests in abandoned woodpecker holes or in natural cavities in trees.

Frequents open woodland, chiefly of oaks or piñon and juniper. R. largely in the Upper Sonoran life zone. Occurs at low elevation in the western part of the Yosemite region. Rare in Yosemite Valley.


COMMON BUSHTIT
COMMON BUSHTIT
COMMON BUSHTIT (Psaltriparus minimus): 4-4 1/2 in. Back light grayish-brown; top of head brown; under parts paler; long, slender tail. Call a chattering tst, tst, as it slips through the brush, Often hangs head downward as it forages at the tips of branches. Usually the birds travel in small flocks. Nest long and pendant with a small opening at one side near the place of attachment.

Frequents areas of chaparral or mixed brush and small trees chiefly in the Upper Sonoran life zone. Widespread R. but absent from higher mountains, deserts. R. at lower elevations in the western part of the Yosemite region. Has been seen near Glacier Point and commonly in Yosemite Valley.


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