MarkyMark's Nature Blog:- Long Tailed Tit #15

Long tailed Tit in garden - Photo by Mark Appleton

My friend Kerry requested I do a blog on the cute Long Tailed Tit, as its one of her favourite garden visitors. Not every one is lucky enough to have a garden or able to travel to a green space in these difficult times for their daily exercise, so I will try and bring a little bit of nature to you.

Long-Tailed Tit spotted at RSPB Lakenheath - Photo by Mark Appleton

Their plumage is a very distinctive mix of black, whitish and pink. They have a very long thin tail which is a give away for identification and a very tiny black bill. The black bits include a very large black stripe above their eye. The whitish bits include the central crown stripe and outer tail feathers. The body can look plump and round. Their eyes have a pinkish tinge to them. I often spot them on my feeders or in my mums garden. They travel around in small flocks and fly in single files between bushes. If you spot one there is probably several others nearby. They are forever on the move and can be quite hard to photograph. They are noisy birds and their presence can be signalled by their low purr and sharp whistled calls to each other. For their song and contact calls click on the following link:-Long-Tailed Tit song 

Ten years ago the Long-Tailed Tit was a scarce visitor to the garden. This has changed and it has moved into the top ten of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, into 9th position for the most common garden visitor, from 12th position last year. They have had a large increase in numbers and a spread northwards in their range in England. Garden feeding may have played a part, but generally milder winters is more likely the major reason for this. These tiny birds are very vulnerable to extreme cold.

Long-Tailed tit on garden feeder - Photo by Mark Appleton

It builds a rounded enclosed nest of lichen, moss, cobwebs and feathers, with a side entrance, usually built in a low bush. It lays 8-12 eggs and has one brood between April and June,. The eggs hatch after about 15 days and the young fly after 16 days being fed by both parents for a further 2 weeks after fledging.

Did you know:-

• The oldest known bird survived over 10 years.

• Numbers of long-tailed tits in gardens peak during winter. During spring, many fewer Long-tailed tits are spotted in gardens as they move out into the countryside to breed.

• It can take over 3 weeks to build its nest which is lined with over 3000 feathers.

• Overnight, Long-tailed tits will bed down together to conserve their energy. A thick shrub such as hawthorn is favoured and individuals will huddle into a ball with their tails sticking out.

• A group of Long-tailed tits are known as a "volery" of tits.

Long-tailed Tits after a rain shower - Photo by Mark Appleton

For more information on Long-tailed Tits click on the following links:-

RSPB - Long-tailed Tit

Garden Birds - Long-tailed Tit

BTO - Long-tailed Tit

and lastly

A BIG SHOUT OUT FOR ALL OUR ESSENTIAL KEY WORKERS WHO ARE DOING AN AMAZING JOB IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES

STAY AT HOME   HELP THE NHS   SAVE LIVES