Tits · Perching birds
Great Tit
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Parus major
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Voice
Call
Call
Song
How to recognize it
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Sparrow-sized
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Black head, white cheeks; brownish cap in juveniles
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Yellow belly with a black stripe; narrower and sometimes broken in females
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Repeated, ringing song: "tsee-tsee-tsee-pee"
About the species
Olive across the back and bright yellow below, the Great Tit has a black head and throat framed by white cheeks. A dark stripe runs down the yellow breast and belly, and a small white bar cuts across each wing. Its blue-grey tail has pale tips that show as it turns among branches.
It works through foliage, picking insects and spiders from leaves. The male’s familiar song repeats "teacher, teacher," while short calls keep companions in touch and sharper notes signal alarm. When a seed or nut is too large to swallow, it pins it under a foot and chips it open with its bill.
Parks, gardens, woodland edges and open deciduous woods all suit it, especially where trees offer holes for nesting. In summer it mainly eats insects and spiders; as these become scarce in winter, it adds seeds, berries and food from feeders. Most stay in the same area year-round, though exceptionally harsh winters can bring sudden movements from northern populations.
Did you know?
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Mobbing owls with allies
When a foraging Great Tit spots a tawny or long-eared owl, it broadcasts a sharp alarm call that draws in other small birds, and together they mob the predator from a safe distance.
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Black stripe advertises strength
The width of a male Great Tit's black breast stripe tracks how well-fed he is, advertising his strength so weaker rivals concede contests without fighting.
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Nest-stealing tits
If a great tit fancies an occupied nest box, it simply evicts the uninvited tenant, throws out its nest, and builds its own out of moss in the freed-up spot.
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Where to find
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In city parks and gardens in summer, watch a great tit picking insects and spiders off leaves.
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At urban feeders in winter, watch for visits to take seeds and food scraps.
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In winters with a heavy beech-seed crop, look beneath deciduous trees for feeding on fallen seeds and fruit.
