Blue Tits are listed as Green – the lowest level on the UK’s List of Conservation Concern.
Blue Tits are common in woodland, hedgerows, parks and gardens. They're widespread and found across the whole of the UK with the exception of some Scottish islands.
You'll often see them clinging confidently to the feeder after other birds have flown off. They like to chase each other about the garden, and even developed a reputation for stealing the creamy top off morning milk deliveries in bygone times!
A short, trill phrase that often gets repeated in close succession. Usually a couple of high pitched ‘tseep’ sounds, followed by a lower pitched, closing rattle.
Blue Tits belt out all year round. In spring and summer, they’ll use their voice to defend territories and attract a mate. Throughout winter, they’ll hang out in feeding flocks of multiple species, where they keep in touch through contact calls.
While they’re a little shier than their larger relatives, they’re still a regular feature at the bird feeder, especially through winter. They can be heard all across the UK – apart from on some of the Scottish islands where, like Great Tits, they’re a bit of a ‘twitch’ when blown across by storms.
Like their chipper attitude, a Blue Tit’s song is bright and breezy, often sounding like “tsee tsee tsee.” Their alarm call, on the other hand, is a distinct and angry ‘churring’ – like they’re giving you a good telling off – often heard when you get too close to their hedgerow perch!
Blue Tits produce famously large clutches and have been known to lay up to 16 eggs! However, they will only lay one clutch per year, which they synchronise with the emergence of caterpillars. The female builds the nest with little input from her partner, and she will often choose a location near a tree, which will make the many hungry beaks easier to feed.
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