Tits · Perching birds
Eurasian Blue Tit
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Cyanistes caeruleus
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Voice
Song
Alarm
Call
How to recognize it
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11–12 cm, smaller than a great tit, slightly larger than a coal tit
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Blue cap, white cheeks and forehead
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Black stripe through the eye, thin dark collar round the neck
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Yellow underparts, olive-green back; call "tsee-tsee"
About the species
Blue and yellow make it easy to pick out, with a bright blue cap, blue wings and tail, white cheeks, and a yellow underside. A dark line runs through the eye and around the cheek, while young ones look duller and greener before the colors sharpen.
It moves fast through branches, often in short hops, and hangs upside down while it searches for food. Its voice is a quick mix of “tee, tee, tee” calls and a sharper scolding churr. In spring it becomes territorial, and pairs keep in touch with soft contact calls.
It lives in deciduous and mixed woods, especially where oak and other old trees are common, and it also uses parks, gardens, nest boxes, and city edges. It feeds mainly on insects, spiders, and larvae, then adds seeds and other plant food outside the breeding season. In much of its range it stays year-round, while northern populations move south or west in winter.
Where to find
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In mature deciduous parks with old oaks and birches, the Eurasian Blue Tit works the outer branches upside down — the first clue is often a thin, ringing call from the canopy.
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Along pond edges, canal banks, and winter reedbeds or willow thickets, look for quick little movers picking insects from stems and twigs.
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Near feeders and hanging fat balls, watch for acrobatic feeding as it swings underneath and snatches sunflower seeds.
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Around hollow old trees, wall crevices, and nest boxes, pairs may fuss at the entrance and give a hissy alarm when people come close.
