Great Tit
The great tit (Parus major) is a common, widespread, and adaptable bird found across Europe and parts of Asia, well known as a frequent visitor to garden bird feeders. It is the largest member of the tit family in the UK.
Key Characteristics
Appearance:
The great tit has a striking appearance with a glossy black head, prominent white cheeks, an olive-green back, and bright yellow underparts with a bold black stripe running down its breast. Males typically have a wider and brighter black stripe than females, which serves as an indicator of their status and reproductive fitness.
Size:
It measures about 14 cm (5.5 inches) in length with a wingspan of roughly 24 cm (9.4 inches).
Song/Call:
Great tits are very vocal and have a wide range of calls. Their most familiar and distinctive song is a repetitive, high-pitched two-syllable call, often described as sounding like a bicycle pump or "teacher, teacher".
Habitat:
While their natural habitat is mature deciduous woodland, they have adapted well to human-modified environments like parks, gardens, and urban areas. They are cavity nesters, using holes in trees or readily available nest boxes.
Diet and Behavior
Great tits are opportunistic and intelligent feeders. Their diet varies seasonally:
Summer:
They primarily eat insects, spiders, caterpillars, and other invertebrates, which provide essential protein for their chicks.
Winter:
When insects are scarce, they switch to seeds, nuts (such as sunflower seeds and peanuts), and berries, often visiting bird tables and feeders. They use a "hold-hammering" method, holding large food items with their feet and striking them with their bill to break them open.
Their intelligence has led to interesting behaviors, such as learning to break the foil caps of doorstep milk bottles to access the cream in the early 20th century. In winter, when food is extremely scarce, they have even been recorded preying on hibernating bats.
Population and Study:
The great tit population is widespread and currently categorized as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN. The species is a significant subject in ornithology, with the Wytham Woods Great Tit project at the University of Oxford being one of the longest continuous studies of an individually-marked animal population in the world, running for over 75 years.
Great Tit
The great tit (Parus major) is a common, widespread, and adaptable bird found across Europe and parts of Asia, well known as a frequent visitor to garden bird feeders. It is the largest member of the tit family in the UK.
Key Characteristics
Appearance:
The great tit has a striking appearance with a glossy black head, prominent white cheeks, an olive-green back, and bright yellow underparts with a bold black stripe running down its breast. Males typically have a wider and brighter black stripe than females, which serves as an indicator of their status and reproductive fitness.
Size:
It measures about 14 cm (5.5 inches) in length with a wingspan of roughly 24 cm (9.4 inches).
Song/Call:
Great tits are very vocal and have a wide range of calls. Their most familiar and distinctive song is a repetitive, high-pitched two-syllable call, often described as sounding like a bicycle pump or "teacher, teacher".
Habitat:
While their natural habitat is mature deciduous woodland, they have adapted well to human-modified environments like parks, gardens, and urban areas. They are cavity nesters, using holes in trees or readily available nest boxes.
Diet and Behavior
Great tits are opportunistic and intelligent feeders. Their diet varies seasonally:
Summer:
They primarily eat insects, spiders, caterpillars, and other invertebrates, which provide essential protein for their chicks.
Winter:
When insects are scarce, they switch to seeds, nuts (such as sunflower seeds and peanuts), and berries, often visiting bird tables and feeders. They use a "hold-hammering" method, holding large food items with their feet and striking them with their bill to break them open.
Their intelligence has led to interesting behaviors, such as learning to break the foil caps of doorstep milk bottles to access the cream in the early 20th century. In winter, when food is extremely scarce, they have even been recorded preying on hibernating bats.
Population and Study:
The great tit population is widespread and currently categorized as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN. The species is a significant subject in ornithology, with the Wytham Woods Great Tit project at the University of Oxford being one of the longest continuous studies of an individually-marked animal population in the world, running for over 75 years.