Long-tailed tit , Aegithalos caudatus
The Long-tailed tit , Aegithalos caudatus is a regular and noisy visitor to the Meadow Hide and a firm favourite. It comes from a different family to our more familiar Blue tit and Great tit. In fact it’s not really a tit at all and has more in common with a family of birds normally found in Asia and africa. Similar in size to a small Blue tit with a long tail and soft pink plumage this distinctive bird can often be found in small groups ranging from 4 to 20 individuals. They are the only bird to have such a combination of small bill, round body, and a long tail.
During the breeding season which lasts late February to mid July, Long-tailed Tits form monogamous pairs, and raise a single brood of six to eight eggs in a woven closed nest, often concealed within a tree or shrub. The nest is held together with spider webs, camouflaged with lichen and lined with feathers. The chicks fledge at around 18 days. The fledgling Long-tailed tits have the same shape as adults but lack the pink colouring of the adult bird with darker faces and backs.
Due to high predation, there is a high nest failure rate. If nest failure occurs after the beginning of May, failed breeders will not try to re-nest, but may become helpers at a nest of another, usually related, pair. In one study, around 50% of nests had one or more helpers.
They feed on tiny insects, spiders, and their eggs, including lava of any kind. Mainly feeding in the tree canopy, or top of shrubs, and rarely on the ground. During the short winter days the birds must feed almost continually, as the flocks make their way through woodland and hedgerows.
Due to their small size they are vulnerable to extreme cold weather, with population losses of up to 80% being recorded in times of prolonged cold. It is thought that populations rapidly return to previous levels due to high breeding potential. Average life expectancy for this small bird is around two years however some ringed birds have been recorded living beyond eight years. It is estimated that there are 380,000 breeding pairs of Long-tailed tits here in the uk.
Classified as Green in the UK under birds of conservation concern , Long-tailed tit numbers are stable. As with most wildlife in the UK the Long-tailed tit is protected under the wildlife and countryside act , 1981.
Read more at www.wildonline.blog
Long-tailed tit , Aegithalos caudatus
The Long-tailed tit , Aegithalos caudatus is a regular and noisy visitor to the Meadow Hide and a firm favourite. It comes from a different family to our more familiar Blue tit and Great tit. In fact it’s not really a tit at all and has more in common with a family of birds normally found in Asia and africa. Similar in size to a small Blue tit with a long tail and soft pink plumage this distinctive bird can often be found in small groups ranging from 4 to 20 individuals. They are the only bird to have such a combination of small bill, round body, and a long tail.
During the breeding season which lasts late February to mid July, Long-tailed Tits form monogamous pairs, and raise a single brood of six to eight eggs in a woven closed nest, often concealed within a tree or shrub. The nest is held together with spider webs, camouflaged with lichen and lined with feathers. The chicks fledge at around 18 days. The fledgling Long-tailed tits have the same shape as adults but lack the pink colouring of the adult bird with darker faces and backs.
Due to high predation, there is a high nest failure rate. If nest failure occurs after the beginning of May, failed breeders will not try to re-nest, but may become helpers at a nest of another, usually related, pair. In one study, around 50% of nests had one or more helpers.
They feed on tiny insects, spiders, and their eggs, including lava of any kind. Mainly feeding in the tree canopy, or top of shrubs, and rarely on the ground. During the short winter days the birds must feed almost continually, as the flocks make their way through woodland and hedgerows.
Due to their small size they are vulnerable to extreme cold weather, with population losses of up to 80% being recorded in times of prolonged cold. It is thought that populations rapidly return to previous levels due to high breeding potential. Average life expectancy for this small bird is around two years however some ringed birds have been recorded living beyond eight years. It is estimated that there are 380,000 breeding pairs of Long-tailed tits here in the uk.
Classified as Green in the UK under birds of conservation concern , Long-tailed tit numbers are stable. As with most wildlife in the UK the Long-tailed tit is protected under the wildlife and countryside act , 1981.
Read more at www.wildonline.blog