Blue Tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, (Linnaeus, 1758) )
Family: Paridae,
Length: 11.5cm: Wingspan: 17 to 20cm. Weight: 9 to 12g. Lifespan: 2 to 3 years.
Seen in the U.K. All Year.
The Blue Tit, is a common and widespread throughout the U.K. into Northern and Southern Europe, south as far as the Mediterranean areas and as far north into the Scandinavia countries (absent in Iceland). Also found world-wide across into Russia and most temperate climatic countries.
Habitat: Woods of all kinds, Gardens, parks, into the countryside with plenty of bushes and trees for cover, typically being hedgerows. Wintertime, often found in reedbeds and the edges of salt marshes. Although will also be drawn to urban gardens with feeders as long as there is plenty of cover around in the way of evergreen bushes (for example conifers) and shrubs.
Nesting: Favours to nest into an enclosed space, in trees and nest boxes, that can offer a small hole for entrance. Being a very agile bird, they can take advantage of many suitable holes and crevasses for nesting. For suitable nesting places they are constantly competing with house sparrows and Great-tits. The nest is a small cup mainly made from moss, lined with hair, wool and feathers. 7 to 16 eggs are laid between April to May, just one brood a year.
During the incubation period, the female will mainly incubate the eggs, while the male feeds the female during this time.
The young chicks are dependent on an adequate supply of caterpillars and are also heavily dependent on weather conditions. Breeding seasons could be affected badly, when the weather is cold and wet between May and July, particularly if this coincides with the emergence of the caterpillars on which the nestlings are mainly fed on.
Feeding: Takes a variety of seeds, nuts, insects and spiders. Will be a regular feeder at bird tables and various bird feeders, especially if vegetation cover is close by.
The Blue Tit is a very effective destroyer of garden and agriculture pests, including many Lepidoptera species including the Wood Tiger moth. This species is also a respected predator of coccids and aphids.
The survival rate of juveniles in the U.K. Is approximately 38% in their first year, adults 53%, by using ring recovery data, RSPB studies have shown. The RSPB estimate that there are 3,535,000 breeding pairs, in the UK.
The Blue tit fledglings are vulnerable to jays, magpies and the domestic cat when leaving the nest, both red and grey squirrels, also weasels will raid the nest, for eggs or young birds. Sparrow-hawks and smaller birds of prey are also a main predator of the young and adult birds.
In the winter time the Blue Tit will flock with other tit species.