The RSPB: Great tit

Great tit

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Latin name

Parus major

Family

Tits (Paridae)

Overview

The largest UK tit - green and yellow with a striking glossy black head with white cheeks and a distinctive two-syllable song. It is a woodland bird which has readily adapted to man-made habitats to become a familiar garden visitor. It can be quite aggressive at a birdtable, fighting off smaller tits. In winter it joins with blue tits and others to form roaming flocks which scour gardens and countryside for food.

Where to see them

Woodlands, parks and gardens across the UK. Absent only from the Northern and Western Isles of Scotland.

When to see them

All year round.

What they eat

Insects, seeds and nuts.

Estimated numbers

Europe	UK breeding*	UK wintering*	UK passage*
-	2,074,000 territories	-	-

* UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.

Distribution

Key

Please note that the map is only intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.

Audio is from commercial recordings Bird Songs and Calls of Britain and Europe on 4 CDs or Bird Sounds of Europe & North-west Africa, copyright WildSounds & CEBA (www.wildsounds.com, (UK) +44 (0) 1263 741100)