| Identification
Length: 12 cm
Easily
identified as it is the only tit with blue wing, tail and crown.
The chest is yellow and the blue tit has white cheeks. A black line
runs through the eye, round the nape and cheeks. A white border
surrounds the blue crown, while the back is a greenish colour, with
yellow colouration on the rump. The bill is black with a brownish
tip, legs are a deep slate blue.
The female has a slightly less vivid colouration.
Young blue tits have have more greenish-brown upper parts and yellowish
cheeks.
Call
Most typical of the many calls is a scolding 'tsee-tsee-tseet'.
Song is a cherry 'tsu-tsuhu-hu'.
Reproduction
Breeding starts from mid-April. They nest in holes or cavity,
usually in a tree or wall, but also in banks and nest boxes. A nest
is a cup of moss, leaves, hair and grass which is lined with down,
feathers and hair. The female builds the nest and lay seven to twelve
(sometimes five to sixteen) eggs. They are a smooth glossy white
with a variable amount of purple-red or reddish-brown speckles.
The female alone will incubate the eggs for twelve to sixteen days.
Both tend the young who remain in the nest for fifteen to twenty-three
days.
Habitat
Blue tits like areas with scattered trees, including town
parks and gardens. Also common in hedgerows.
Natural
Food
Mainly insects an larvae, also fruits.
Where
to Feed
Ground Feed - Scatter food near cover
Table Feeder - Open topped
Table Feeder - Covered
Feeders - Minimum 1m height
Suitable
Wild Bird Food from the Shop
Ark Wild Bird Mix
Ark Wild Bird XTRA
Ark 'No Grow' Scatter XTRA
Ark Feeder Mix
Ark 'No Mess' Feeder Mix
Ark 'All-Purpose' Mix
Ark Songbird Softbill with Insects
Live Food
Fat Balls
Suet Blocks
Peanuts
Sunflower Seeds
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