Breeding territories: 41,000 territories
Family: Tits, Chickadees, And Titmice
The adult marsh tit has grey-brown upperparts, tail, and wings, with slightly paler feathers on the tertials. Its underparts are off-white, tinged with brown, and darker on the flanks and undertail coverts.
The head has a glossy black cap and nape with a blueish sheen. The cheeks are white, with dusky brown on the ear coverts, and a small black bib is present. The eyes and bill are black, while the legs and feet are dark grey. Males and females look similar.
Juvenile marsh tits resemble adults but have a duller black cap, greyer upperparts, and paler underparts.
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Marsh tits are monogamous and form lifelong pairs. They begin breeding in late March and produce one brood per season. The male attracts a mate through singing and displaying, and once egg-laying begins, he may also engage in courtship feeding.
They build their nests in tree hollows, wall crevices, and occasionally on the ground. They also use old nest holes left by willow tits, although they do not excavate the holes themselves, instead enlarging existing hollows. The female constructs a cup-shaped nest made of moss, lined with grass, hair, and feathers.
Marsh tits lay 5-9 white eggs, speckled with red, which are incubated by the female alone for 14-16 days. The male helps feed the chicks, which fledge after 18-21 days. They reach sexual maturity at one year.
Marsh tits primarily feed on spiders and insects but also consume seeds, nuts, and berries, especially beech mast, during autumn and winter.
Marsh tits are found in woodland, copses, parks and gardens throughout England and Wales with a few in southern Scotland.
Marsh tits will hoard seeds burying and hiding them for another day. Their hippocampus which is the part of the brain responsible for remembering things is larger than that of a great tit.
