Wenlock Edge Since the 1960s the great tit population has doubled. These dapper but tough birds are becoming a global power
Great tits will take over the world. You see my problem already – it’s the name. Unless you can disassociate from the Carry On innuendo of “tit”, this bird is always going to be a joke. It supposedly gets its name from titmouse: in Old English, tit means small and “mouse” is a corruption of māse, a bird name of Germanic origins.
There is a theatrical prettiness about great tits: the shiny black head with flashing white cheeks, flamboyantly dapper, green-backed, yellow-breasted, with black tie and cleavage stripe. Their twin-syllabic song sounds like a drunk pushing a rusty wheelbarrow. But the music hall stage persona ends there.
Their pert, quick, neatness of form obscures a fierce nature. Watch them on the arena of a bird table: they’re tough, uncompromising scrappers, and you get the impression they’re in it for the fight as much as the food. Before the breeding season they join forces with blue tits and coal tits to become the muscle for a painted warrior cult, knocking other passerines off their perches. There are stories about them eating hibernating bats alive.
Great tits are greenwood birds, ruling the treetops where the sparrowhawks can’t get them, but they have become very successful colonists, occupying the parks and gardens we provided for them and, by charisma, flashy acrobatics and a naughty name, endearing themselves to those who hang fat balls (there’s the problem again).
Great tits have learned to thrive where the populations of many other bird species have collapsed. They have been adapting to climate change, laying eggs two weeks earlier to take advantage of milder weather and the peak in caterpillar numbers feeding on earlier leaves. They can lay 12 eggs and have two broods, although many of them are the results of cuckoldery: sexual politics in great tit society is complicated and controlled secretly by the females.
Since the 1960s, the great tit population has doubled. They range throughout Europe, north Asia to north Africa, and are becoming a global power.
Parus major just means great tit, shortened from titmouse: a great small. Of the smalls this is the greatest, despite, or perhaps because of, its ridiculous name.
Diet and feeding edit Hold-hammering is a common way for the family to deal with food items.
The tits are omnivorous insectivores that eat a variety of tiny insects and other invertebrates, especially tiny caterpillars that shed their leaves. They also consume seeds and nuts, particularly in the winter. The family’s signature foraging technique is hanging, in which they examine a branch, twig, and leaves from every perspective while hanging upside down to eat. [5] Different species of tit feed in different parts of the tree when many species coexist there; their morphology plays a significant role in determining their niche; larger species feed on the ground, medium-sized species feed on larger branches, and the smallest species feed on the ends of branches. Tits engage in hold-hammering, wherein they hold larger prey items or seeds between their feet and hammer it with their bill until it opens. They can even open hazelnuts in this way in about 20 minutes. Several genera practice food caching, storing food supplies for the winter. [11].
Description edit
The tits are characterized as “one of the most conservative avian families in terms of general morphology” due to their striking similarity in appearance, with the exception of the three monotypic genera Sylviparus, Melanochlora, and Pseudopodoces. [4] Adult members of the family typically measure between 10 and 16 cm (3 9 and 6. 3 in) in length; this range increases to 9 to 21 cm (3 in) when monotypic genera are included. 5 to 8. 3 in). The family’s weight spans from 5 to 49 g (0 18 to 1. 73 oz); this contracts to 7 to 29 g (0. 25 to 1. 02 oz) when the three atypical genera are removed. The majority of the family’s variation is found in the plumage, especially in color. [5].
Generally speaking, the tits’ bills are short and can range from stout to fine, depending on diet. The bills of more insectivorous species are finer, while the bills of more seed-consuming species are thicker. According to reports, tits are developing longer beaks so they can reach into bird feeders. [6] Hume’s ground tit of Tibet and the Himalayas, which is lengthy and decurved, has the most abnormal bill of the family. [5].
Since the 1960s, the great tit population has doubled. They are spread across Europe, North Asia, and North Africa, and they are growing in power on a global scale.
Their pert, quick, neatness of form obscures a fierce nature. Watch them on the arena of a bird table: they’re tough, uncompromising scrappers, and you get the impression they’re in it for the fight as much as the food. Before the breeding season they join forces with blue tits and coal tits to become the muscle for a painted warrior cult, knocking other passerines off their perches. There are stories about them eating hibernating bats alive.
Great tits will take over the world. You see my problem already – it’s the name. Unless you can disassociate from the Carry On innuendo of “tit”, this bird is always going to be a joke. It supposedly gets its name from titmouse: in Old English, tit means small and “mouse” is a corruption of māse, a bird name of Germanic origins.
Parus major, which is short for titmouse and simply means “great tit,” is a great little Despite its absurd name, or maybe even because of it, this is the best small.
Wenlock Edge: The population of great tits has doubled since the 1960s. These dapper but tough birds are becoming a global power.