Great Tit (Parus major)




The great tit is a common woodland bird that you see almost anywhere there are trees and shrubs, including hedgerows and gardens. In the RSPB Garden Bird Count 2022 it stands as the eighth most common garden bird.

It is a smart little bird with its grey coat over a yellow waist coat with a long black cravat down the front. In the field, it is those white cheeks that one frequently notices first. The black stripe down the front is wider and more pronounced in males.

The great tit has an array of songs, or rather calls, for the spring time. It is thought they have at least twelve, with the most familiar being 'teacher, teacher' (I liken this call to someone pumping up their bicycle tyres with a squeaky pump). It is one of the first to be heard early in the new year at the first hint of lengthening days.

Comments