The Black-Crested Titmouse is a variety of Titmouse that hails from Mexico and South Texas. Their appearance is very similar to the Tufted Titmouse, which is common in the Eastern half of North America. Smaller in size, the Black-Crested has a distinct black crest and a one-of-a-kind song. I captured a photo of a Black-Crested Titmouse mid air as it jumped off a dead tree and onto the sand in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.

This little beauty was new to me. I photographed it this spring in the Rio Grande Valley. When I captured this image, I thought it was an unusual variation of the Tufted Titmouse but soon learned that it is a separate species and is native to Texas and northeastern Mexico.