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titmouse
titmouse common name for members of the Paridae, a family of passerine birds, which includes the tits, titmice, and chickadees. They are small, active birds with short, pointed bills and strong legs. Their soft, thick plumage is colored in grays and browns, occasionally highlighted by black and white or blue and yellow. Titmice are found chiefly in the Northern Hemisphere and also in Asia and Africa. They are adaptable and can be taught to perform tricks. In the wild, titmice travel in mixed flocks with nuthatches, creepers, kinglets, and woodpeckers, feeding mostly on small insects but also on seeds, fruits, and berries. Typical of the family are the blackcapped chickadee, Parus atricapillus, of the NE United States, the nearly identical Carolina chickadee of the South, and the similar willow tit of Europe and the British Isles. Some titmice have crests, e.g., the crested tit of Eurasia and the tufted titmouse, Lophophanes bicolor, a mouse-gray bird with rust side patches common in the E United States. These typical titmice nest in tree cavities; the long-tailed tits weave complex bag nests. To this group belongs the Javanese pygmy tit (3 in./7.5 cm long, most of it tail); the bush tits of the American West are closely related. A third group, the penduline tits, are named for their hanging bag nests; the only American species is the western verdin. Titmice are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Passeriformes, family Paridae. |
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"titmouse." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "titmouse." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-titmouse.html "titmouse." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-titmouse.html |
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titmouse
titmouse (tit, chickadee) Small, stubby-bodied and large-headed bird of open woodlands and wooded parks of the Northern Hemisphere and Africa. Most true titmice nest in self-drilled holes or abandoned woodpecker holes. Family Paridae; genus Parus. The long-tailed titmice and bush tits of Eurasia and w North America are larger and build closed, often hanging, nests. Subfamily Aegithalinae.
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"titmouse." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "titmouse." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-titmouse.html "titmouse." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-titmouse.html |
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titmouse
tit·mouse / ˈtitˌmous/ • n. (pl. titmice / -ˌmīs/ ) a small songbird (Parus and other genera, familyParidae) that searches acrobatically for insects among foliage and branches. Its numerous species include the chickadees and the tufted titmouse (P. bicolor). |
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"titmouse." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "titmouse." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-titmouse.html "titmouse." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-titmouse.html |
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titmouse
titmouse small bird of the genus Parus. XIV. ME. titmōse. f. TIT2 + mōse, OE. māse = MLG., MDu. mēse (Du. mess), OHG. meisa (G. meise) :- WGmc. *maisōn (cf. ON. meisingr). Alt. XVI by assoc. with MOUSE.
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T. F. HOAD. "titmouse." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "titmouse." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-titmouse.html T. F. HOAD. "titmouse." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-titmouse.html |
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titmouse
titmouse See TITS.
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MICHAEL ALLABY. "titmouse." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "titmouse." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-titmouse.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "titmouse." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-titmouse.html |
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titmouse
titmouse
•douse, dowse, Gauss, grouse, house, Klaus, louse, Manaus, mouse, nous, Rouse, souse, spouse, Strauss
•Windaus • madhouse • cathouse
•Gasthaus • guardhouse • farmhouse
•glasshouse • bathhouse • almshouse
•penthouse • guesthouse • warehouse
•playhouse
•bakehouse, steakhouse
•alehouse, jailhouse
•gatehouse, statehouse
•treehouse • wheelhouse • greenhouse
•clearing house • meeting house
•counting house • ice house
•lighthouse, White House
•doghouse • dollhouse
•chophouse, flophouse
•dosshouse
•hothouse, pothouse
•poorhouse, storehouse, whorehouse
•courthouse • malthouse • Bauhaus
•town house • outhouse • coach house
•roadhouse • smokehouse • boathouse
•oast house • schoolhouse
•Wodehouse • cookhouse • clubhouse
•nuthouse • beerhouse • powerhouse
•summerhouse • barrelhouse
•porterhouse, slaughterhouse, Waterhouse
•workhouse • lobscouse • woodlouse
•field mouse • titmouse • dormouse
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"titmouse." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "titmouse." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-titmouse.html "titmouse." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-titmouse.html |
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