Tits, chickadees, and titmice are a large family of small passerines with compact bodies, rounded heads, and short, stout bills. They are active, sociable birds and often form mixed-species flocks outside the breeding season. Their plumage is varied but tends to be combinations of blue, green, and yellow, or more muted tones of brown, black, and white.
They have a wide distribution, ranging across most of Europe, Asia, North America, and Africa. In North America, they are commonly referred to as chickadees or titmice. While their natural habitat is woodland, they readily adapt to areas near human settlements and frequently visit gardens, especially in search of food.
Tits are omnivorous, with a diet that shifts with the seasons. In spring and summer, they predominantly feed on insects, particularly caterpillars, and other small invertebrates. During the winter or when insects are scarce, they turn to seeds, nuts, and berries. One distinctive foraging behaviour is their ability to hang upside down to search for food on the undersides of leaves and branches, a skill they also display at bird feeders.
As cavity-nesting birds, tits typically use tree holes for their nests, though they will occasionally nest on the ground or take advantage of nest boxes. Clutch sizes vary can be large for altricial birds, ranging from 10 to 15 eggs, though larger clutches have been recorded.
There are 64 species of tits, chickadees, and titmice worldwide, 6 of which are found in the UK.
