The Great Tit was @SpeciesofUK from 16th
to 22nd September, 2013.
The great tit is a member of the tit family Paridae, which are known in North America as the ‘titmice’ and ‘chickadees.’[1]
Tits can be found right across the northern hemisphere and Africa.[2] The great tit has one of
the widest ranges of all tits. It’s found as far east as China and as far west
as Ireland and Morocco.[3]
There are seven tit species in the UK
in all.
The UK tits are: blue tit, crested tit, coal tit, marsh tit, willow tit,
bearded tit and great tit.[4] There is another
well-known UK bird called the long-tailed tit, but contrary to its name it isn’t
a true tit. It’s a member of the closely-related Aegithalos family.[5]
The great tit was considered for some time to be made up of various
subspecies. More recently, scientists have separated two of these out into
distinct species, the cinereous tit Parus
cinereus which is found in Southeast Asia and the Japanese tit Parus minor which lives in Japan, Korea
and China.
Tits are small and stocky birds, mostly woodland-dwelling. They typically have short stout bills and a broad diet.[6] The name 'tit' is from an Old Germanic word meaning small.[7]
 |
| Parus Minor 'Japanese Tit' [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © yamada*] |
 |
| Parus Cinereus 'Cinereous Tit' [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © nbu2012] |
Tits are small and stocky birds, mostly woodland-dwelling. They typically have short stout bills and a broad diet.[6] The name 'tit' is from an Old Germanic word meaning small.[7]
The great tit is one of our most
familiar garden birds.
Great tits are found throughout the UK in woods, gardens and parks, with
the exception of the Northern and Western Isles of Scotland.[8]
They are a common sight at the bird feeder. They can be aggressive,
fighting off other tits to get the best spot.[9]
A video of a great tit on a bird feeder. A common sight in UK gardens.
In the 'wild', great tits feed on insects, such as caterpillars and
spiders, seeds, like beech mast, and berries.[10]
Great tits are distinctive and easy to
spot.
Great tits are the largest of the UK tits. They're green and yellow with
a striking glossy black head with white cheeks, and a black stripe down their
belly.[11]
 |
| White Cheek Patches of the Great Tit [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Marko_K] |
 |
| Black Belly Stripe of the Great Tit [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Giuss95] |
The wings of the great tit are blue-grey with a white wing-bar. The rump
and legs are also blue-grey. The bill is black.[12]
The sexes of the great tit can be told apart by the belly stripe, which
is broader in males.[13]
The great tit song is varied. It’s best known for its very recognisable
piercing two syllable "teacher-teacher" notes.
In the winter, great tits form mixed
flocks with blue tits and they go foraging together.
 |
| Blue Tit and Great Tit [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Nabok] |
Forming mixed flocks is a great way for birds to increase their chances of survival. More eyes means more chance of spotting food and predators.[14] You can read some recent research on the dynamics of mixed flocks here.
In the UK, other species that commonly form mixed flocks include rooks
and jackdaws.
Great tits nest in holes in trees, walls and nest boxes.
Their nests are a cup made from moss, grass and down, lined with hair
and feathers.[15]
Great tit eggs are smooth and white with purplish-red spots. There are
between seven and fifteen eggs, which the female incubates for two weeks. The
young are fed by both parents.[16]
 |
| Great Tit Nest [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Nottsexminer] |
 |
| Great Tit Chicks [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © Nottsexminer] |
Here is a video of a great tit feeding its chick.
Great tits may bring around 10,000 caterpillars to a single brood of chicks. Every day they carry almost their own body weight in food to the nest.[17]
 |
| Great Tit with Caterpillar [Flickr Creative Commons © penguinbush] |
When great tits fledge they are still easy to distinguish from the adults. They are duller in colour and have yellow instead of white faces.[18]
 |
| Fledgling Great Tit [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © M1keez] |
 |
| Great Tit Feeding Fledgling [Source: Flickr Creative Commons © James Raynard] |
Great tits that reach breeding age survive two or three seasons. The
oldest known wild great tits were around 15 years old.[19]
Strange but true…
Great tits are wily birds. They regularly follow other species such as
coal tits while they are storing food, and then steal the store.[20]
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paridae
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paridae
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Tit
[4] http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/families/tits.aspx
[5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-tailed_tit
[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paridae
[7] http://www.thefreedictionary.com/tit
[8] http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/greattit/index.aspx
[9] http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/greattit/index.aspx
[10] http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/greattit.htm
[11] http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/greattit/index.
[12] http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/greattit.htm
[13] http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/greattit.htm
[14] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1978.tb06790.x/abstract
[15] http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/greattit.htm
[16] http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/greattit.htm
[17] https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=great%20tit%20coal%20food%20store&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CC4QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biggonline.co.uk%2FBlueAndGreatTits2-shrink.pdf&ei=kvY9Urn3MdSc0wWu-oGYCQ&usg=AFQjCNFnjwlNS_UJFWcZHTVgcGae4gbkTA&sig2=6BYtEjjM-g0gP4SRBhR62A&bvm=bv.52434380,d.d2k
[18] https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=great%20tit%20coal%20food%20store&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CC4QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biggonline.co.uk%2FBlueAndGreatTits2-shrink.pdf&ei=kvY9Urn3MdSc0wWu-oGYCQ&usg=AFQjCNFnjwlNS_UJFWcZHTVgcGae4gbkTA&sig2=6BYtEjjM-g0gP4SRBhR62A&bvm=bv.52434380,d.d2k
[19] https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=great%20tit%20coal%20food%20store&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CC4QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biggonline.co.uk%2FBlueAndGreatTits2-shrink.pdf&ei=kvY9Urn3MdSc0wWu-oGYCQ&usg=AFQjCNFnjwlNS_UJFWcZHTVgcGae4gbkTA&sig2=6BYtEjjM-g0gP4SRBhR62A&bvm=bv.52434380,d.d2k
[20] https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=great%20tit%20coal%20food%20store&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CC4QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.biggonline.co.uk%2FBlueAndGreatTits2-shrink.pdf&ei=kvY9Urn3MdSc0wWu-oGYCQ&usg=AFQjCNFnjwlNS_UJFWcZHTVgcGae4gbkTA&sig2=6BYtEjjM-g0gP4SRBhR62A&bvm=bv.52434380,d.d2k
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