Help us identify this bird
Posted by Scott Davis on May 24, 2008
Q: I found a nest in my backyard bluebird box, that was not a bluebird. This bird layed four white bird eggs with orange specks all over them. I spotted this light grey bird with a medium length tail and noticed white in the face area. There are white rings around the bird's eyes. This bird looks similar to a blue-gray Gnatcatcher.
Please help identify this bird!
State: Maryland
Habitat: suburban/yard
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A: It's hard to say from the photographs of the nest, but there are only a few possibilities, really. Cavity-nesting birds that lay white eggs with brown speckles and breed in Maryland include Black-capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatches, Carolina Wrens, and several other less common species. From your description of the adult, I would have to guess that the bird you observed was a Tufted Titmouse. Titmice are predominantly white and gray, with a pale patch of feathers on the side of the face that looks a little like an eye ring. They also have a prominent crest.
Check out the image here and let me know if this looks like your bird.
Solon Morse ( May 27, 2008)