Blue Tit
The Blue Tit is a small passerine bird in the tit family. It is easily recognisable by its generally blue and yellow plumage and its small size.
The Blue Tit is about 4.7 inches long with a wingspan of 7.1 inches. It has an azure blue crown and a dark blue line passing through the eye and encircling the white cheeks to the chin, giving the bird a very distinctive appearance. The forehead and a bar on the wing are white. The nape, wings and tail are blue and the back is yellowish green. The underparts are mostly sulphur-yellow with a dark line down the abdomen. The bill is black and the legs bluish grey. The sexes are similar whilst young birds are noticeably more yellow. The Blue Tit is very agile and it can cling to the outermost branches and hang upside down when searching for food such as insects, caterpillars and seeds.
The Blue Tit can be found throughout areas of the European continent with a mainly temperate or Mediterranean climate and in parts of the Middle East. In the UK it is common in woodland, hedgerows, parks and gardens and widespread across the whole of the country with the exception of some Scottish islands.
The Blue Tit will nest in any suitable hole in a tree, wall or stump, often competing with other birds such as the House Sparrow or Great Tit for the site. In addition, it will readily accept an artificial nesting box. The same hole is returned to year after year and when one pair dies another takes possession. The nesting material is usually moss, wool, hair and feathers and the eggs are laid in April or May. The number in the clutch is often very large but 7 or 8 is normal. It is not unusual for a single bird to feed the chicks in the nest at a rate of one feed every 90 seconds during the height of the breeding season.
Successful breeding is dependent on a sufficient supply of caterpillars as well as satisfactory weather. Breeding may be affected badly if the weather is cold and wet between May and July, particularly if this coincides with the emergence of the caterpillars on which the nestlings are fed.
The small size of the Blue Tit makes it vulnerable to predation by larger birds and the typical lifespan is 3 years or less. The most significant predator is probably the Sparrowhawk, closely followed by the domestic cat. Nests may also be robbed by mammals such as the Weasel and Red and Grey Squirrels.
Date: 23rd April 2016
Location: Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, Sevenoaks, Kent
The Blue Tit is about 4.7 inches long with a wingspan of 7.1 inches. It has an azure blue crown and a dark blue line passing through the eye and encircling the white cheeks to the chin, giving the bird a very distinctive appearance. The forehead and a bar on the wing are white. The nape, wings and tail are blue and the back is yellowish green. The underparts are mostly sulphur-yellow with a dark line down the abdomen. The bill is black and the legs bluish grey. The sexes are similar whilst young birds are noticeably more yellow. The Blue Tit is very agile and it can cling to the outermost branches and hang upside down when searching for food such as insects, caterpillars and seeds.
The Blue Tit can be found throughout areas of the European continent with a mainly temperate or Mediterranean climate and in parts of the Middle East. In the UK it is common in woodland, hedgerows, parks and gardens and widespread across the whole of the country with the exception of some Scottish islands.
The Blue Tit will nest in any suitable hole in a tree, wall or stump, often competing with other birds such as the House Sparrow or Great Tit for the site. In addition, it will readily accept an artificial nesting box. The same hole is returned to year after year and when one pair dies another takes possession. The nesting material is usually moss, wool, hair and feathers and the eggs are laid in April or May. The number in the clutch is often very large but 7 or 8 is normal. It is not unusual for a single bird to feed the chicks in the nest at a rate of one feed every 90 seconds during the height of the breeding season.
Successful breeding is dependent on a sufficient supply of caterpillars as well as satisfactory weather. Breeding may be affected badly if the weather is cold and wet between May and July, particularly if this coincides with the emergence of the caterpillars on which the nestlings are fed.
The small size of the Blue Tit makes it vulnerable to predation by larger birds and the typical lifespan is 3 years or less. The most significant predator is probably the Sparrowhawk, closely followed by the domestic cat. Nests may also be robbed by mammals such as the Weasel and Red and Grey Squirrels.
Date: 23rd April 2016
Location: Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve, Sevenoaks, Kent
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Also in: Tits
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