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  • Willow tit

Willow tit

Willow tit
Willow tit
  • Scientific name: Poecile montanus
  • Bird family: Tits
  • UK conservation status: Red
  • Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Willow tit call audio

Your browser does not support this audio feature.

Patrik Åberg, Xeno-canto

Key information

Willow tits are between blue and great tits in size, with no yellow, green or blue. They have a large sooty-black cap extending to the back of the neck and a small untidy black bib. It is mid-brown above, with whiter cheeks and pale buff-grey underparts. Its wings show a pale panel not found in marsh tits.

Its recent population declines make it a Red List species.

What they eat:

Insects, seeds and berries.

Measurements:

Length:
11.5cm
Wingspan:
17-19cm
Weight:
8-14g

Population:

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.
UK breeding:
3,400 pairs

Identifying features:

Willow tit

Willow tit
Feather colour: Black Brown Cream/buff Grey White
Leg colour: Brown
Beak: Black Short Thin
Natural habitats: Woodland Urban and suburban

Similar birds:

Marsh tit
Marsh tit
Coal tit
Coal tit

Where and when to see them

Willow tits are mainly found in England and Wales, with some in south Scotland. Willow tits are often, but by no means exclusively, found in willow thickets in damp places, such as the edge of lowland peat bogs, marshes and around gravel pits.

* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Summer
  • Winter
Willow tit distribution map

Willow tits can be seen all year round.

  • jan
  • feb
  • mar
  • apr
  • may
  • jun
  • jul
  • aug
  • sep
  • oct
  • nov
  • dec

RSPB reserves

  • RSPB Consall Woods
  • RSPB Ken-Dee Marshes
  • RSPB Wood of Cree
  • RSPB Fairburn Ings

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