Description
The Great Tit is the largest European tit - the size of a House Sparrow - and
can be easily recognised by its glossy black head, collar and throat, white
cheeks, yellow under parts, and greenish back. There is a white wing bar across
the blue-grey wings. The sexes can be told apart by the black stripe down its
breast - the males have a broader stripe than the females. Juveniles are paler
and duller with yellowish cheeks and wing bar.
Voice
The Great Tits' song is varied, but it's perhaps best known it for its
piercing "teacher-teacher" song, which can be very annoying when performed at
dawn outside your bedroom window. A common call is a repeated "chink", which can
be confused with the "pink pink" call of the Chaffinch.
Feeding
Great tits feed on insects, seeds, like beech mast, and berries. In the garden
they will feed from hanging feeders containing nuts and seeds, or from bird
tables.
Breeding
They will nest in a hole in a tree or wall, or among the twigs of old nests. The
nest is a cup made from moss, grass and down, and lined with hair, plant down
and feathers. Nest boxes are frequently used. The Great Tit's eggs are the
largest of the British tits at 18 mm by 14 mm; they are smooth and glossy, and
white with purplish-red spots. The female incubates the eggs by herself. After
the young hatch, they are fed by both parents.
| Breeding Starts |
Number of Clutches |
Number of Eggs |
Incubation (days) |
Fledge (days) |
| March |
1-2 |
7-15 |
10-22 |
16-22 |
Comments
Throughout the year Great Tits feed on sunflower hearts, high energy seed, and
peanuts. They usually travel as a pair (it's just that they do not necessarily
both visit the garden simultaneously), but can be more in the summer when the
parents are with their offspring.
Reproduced with kind permission of
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