Blue Tit

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Blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) are small birds with blue and green backs, yellow underparts, white cheeks and a blue crown. The juveniles look similar to the adults but with muted colours and yellow cheeks. They are only 12 cm in length and weigh 11 g. In the picture below the bird on the left is male and the female on the right. As you can see, the male has a brighter blue plumage.


Blue tits are residents in most of mainland Britain and Ireland. In summer they live in lowland habitats where there are mature deciduous trees with suitable nest holes. To supplement their diet in winter, they will visit other habitats like gardens with bird feeders. At this time of year, there are 15 million birds. The diet consists of insects, fruit and seeds.


Their breeding season is in April-May. They build a nest from moss and grass in a hole in a tree or nest box. 6-16 eggs in  a brood hatch after 14 days and the chicks fly 16-22 days later.

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