No sniggering at the back please. For in this guide we’re going to be talking about tits a lot: how to identify them, and how to tell the difference between some of the similar looking species.
The UK is home to eight species of tit, four of which commonly visit gardens, while the rest can be seen in the countryside. Six of the species belong to the family of true tits, a large family of passerine birds found mainly in the Northern Hemisphere and Africa.
True tits tend to be small, stocky birds with short bills who have a varied diet of seeds and insects. They are usually social and very active, often joining with other tits to form mixed-species flocks when feeding in non-breeding season. In breeding season, they are territorial, typically nesting in the cavities of trees, and producing large clutches of eggs.
There is also a ninth species of British bird called a tit, but which isn’t actually a member of a tit family at all.
The great tit is the largest of the British tit species measuring up to 15 cm in length. As well as being longer, it is more bulky-looking with bolder plumage than the blue tit and coal tit. It has pale yellow underparts, with a black stripe down the middle of its belly, and green upperparts with blue wings and a white wingbar. The sides of the tail are white, and the head is black with a distinctive white cheek. Males and females are similar, but the female has a narrower stripe on her belly.
It has a noisy, ringing call, producing a series of varied, off-key notes and will often tap its bill loudly. It sometimes mimics other birds. Like many tits, the great tit is an acrobatic feeder, but will also search for food through vegetation or probing under bark.
Great tits are found all over the UK particularly in woodland and gardens.
Probably our most familiar tit, the blue tit is a tiny bird, with yellow underparts and a black streak through the centre of its belly. The upperparts are greenish-yellow with a blue tail with pale sides, and blue wings with a white wingbar. The face is white with a blue crown, a black stripe through the eyes, and a black chin. Males and females are similar, but the female may be slightly greener or duller.
The blue tit has a high, sharp call, and a slurred, trilled song. It is an acrobatic feeder, feeding amongst the foliage of tall trees and often visiting gardens for food.
It can be found across the UK in woodland, scrub, hedgerows, gardens, and reedbeds.
The coal tit is similar in size to the blue tit but lacks the distinctive blue, yellow, and green plumage. The underparts are pale and lack the central streak, while the upperparts are olive-grey, and there are two white wingbars. The head is black with a white cheek and a distinctive white patch at the back. Males and females resemble each other.
It has a short, sharp call, and a song similar to that of a great tit but simpler, and less strident. It feeds in conifers as well as from the ground and although it will visit feeders in gardens, it tends to take food away to eat nearby or store in a cache.
Coal tits are found across the UK in woodland, scrub, and thickets.
As its name suggests, the crested tit can be identified by the pointed, black and white crest on the top of its head. The rest of the plumage is dull with pale underparts, and grey-brown upperparts. There is a black stripe through the eye that extends around the cheek, and a black chin. Males and females are similar, but the crest on the male tends to be longer and the face stripes more bold.
The call is a thin, trilling or purring sound, with occasional higher notes. It forages for insects and spiders on the bark of trees or in pine needles on the ground.
Crested tits are only found in pine forests and plantations in Scotland, although they will occasionally visit bird tables in gardens when food is scarce.
The willow tit is a small tit with buff underparts and brown upperparts, with a distinctive pale panel on the wings. The flanks may sometimes appear rusty. On the head is a dull, black cap, a white cheek, and a back inverted ‘V’ shape on the chin. The bill is black. Males and females look alike.
It has a deep, buzzing, nasal call and a high-pitched piping song, similar to a wood warbler’s. Willow tits mainly feed in scrub and vegetation below trees hunting for insects, as well as berries and seeds.
Willow tits are found in localised regions of England, Wales, and southern Scotland but are in rapid decline due to loss of suitable habitat. They can be spotted in woodlands, scrubland, and hedgerows, and will occasionally visit bird feeders.
The marsh tit is very similar in appearance to the willow tit, and the best way to tell the difference between the two is by their voice. Like the willow tit, it has brown and grey plumage but with a colder, duller tone, and will never show rust on its flanks. The black cap tends to be glossier, while the white cheek is more clearly defined, and the black bib is smaller. There is usually a pale grey patch on the bill. However, there is much overlap so identification from sight alone is not always reliable.
The call of the marsh tit is bright and cheery, while the song is a simple, flat rattle. It feeds on insects and berries amongst trees and vegetation on the ground.
Marsh tits are much more widespread than willow tits, and can be found in woodland, hedgerows, and gardens in England, and Wales.
The long-tailed tit is not a true tit but sits in a separate family. It is a tiny, acrobatic bird with an unmistakable long tail. The underparts are pale pink, while the upperparts are black with a pink shoulder. The tail is black with white sides. On the head, it has black stripes by the crown and its eyes have noticeable red eyelids. Males and females are similar.
It has a thin, high-pitched twittering contact call, and a trilling song interspersed with short, metallic sounds. It often flies in flocks in single-file, and will also join other tits and goldcrests. It can be seen eating insects and berries from bushes and in recent years has become a frequent visitor to gardens.
Long-tailed tits can be found across much of the UK. Look out for them in woodland, hedgerows, thickets, and parks.
The penduline tit also isn’t a true tit but belongs to a family of just eleven species. It is a very small bird, with buff underparts and rusty brown upperparts, with a relatively long, dark tail. The head is grey with a distinctive black eye mask, that resembles that of a red-backed shrike. Males and females are similar.
It has a thin, high call that sounds a little like a reed bunting, and a long, downward song. It is an acrobatic feeder, searching for food in trees and reedbeds where it uses one foot to cling to the stem and the other to pull out seeds from the head.
Penduline tits are a scarce visitor to the UK with just a few hundred sightings recorded. They can be spotted near the coast and in reedbeds.
Despite its name, the bearded tit isn’t a tit at all. Also known as the bearded reedling, it sits in its family all by itself. Unlike tits, the bearded tit is sexually dimorphic meaning males and females look different. The male has pale underparts and chestnut upperparts with black and white feathers on its wing. The head is blue-grey with an elongated black moustache, and a bright orange bill. The female is much paler with a light brown head and no dark patch.
It has a loud, metallic ‘pinging’ call, which is usually the first indication of its presence, as it can be hard to see when feeding in reedbeds or on the ground.
Bearded tits are scarce but can be found in reedbeds in wetlands in the south and east of England and Scotland.
One Response
Lovely I never knew there were so many tit birds.