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Quarrelsome if another species comrade presses too close …

 

 

In the morning twilight the first visitor to the feeder is some older male great tit that has spent the night somewhere nearby. Sometimes the bird is not even to be seen in the dark, only heard.

 

In winter great tits gather near human settlements and there is good reason for it. For the night there can be a cornice crevice, balcony corner, a woodpile in houses with fireplaces or a nest box for summer nesting: there are enough places to shelter in and so you are closer to food too and in the cities it is some degrees warmer than in the forest.

 

Great tits have not developed the habit or instinct to stockpile winter stores for themselves but they are very skilled at searching out seeds hidden by other passerines or tits in the crevices of tree bark.

 

Great tits are bigger than all other tits: length up to 15 centimetres, weight around 20 grams. In Estonia more than half a million individuals are estimated to spend the winter; when the winter bird count ends we will get more accurate numbers.

 

By the bluish black head plumage the shining white cheeks and the black band on the yellow breast at once catch notice. The tail as well as wings are bluish-grey; the wings have a distinct white band. Back plumage greenish yellow, the patch at the nape yellow. Eyes dark brown, beak black and feet bluish grey. Quite colourful creatures, aren’t they?

 

Male great tit

 

Great tit

 

Is it possible to distinguish the sex of the externally similar great tits? It is but the rules below are not quite ”unconditional rules”.

 

An adult male is distinguished by a wider ”tie” on the breast that widens even more on the belly. The black head plumage also seems glossier and their behaviour at the feeding place is more dominating.

 

The belly band of females and young birds is quite a bit narrower and sometimes seems uneven.

 

During the day we can see about 30 individuals in action in camera view. Snatching a sunflower seed or visiting a fat ball is done according to ”importance” rank and the branches of the trees or shrubs closest to the feeder are also occupied by the stronger individuals.

 

When bellies are full the tit flock leaves to find out what happens at Otepää or what food is offered at other feeding places. They move around in groups, which other passerines often join too. Note that the birds keep a ”reasonable distance” to each other because a quarrel might follow with someone pressing too close.

 

In the next few months a series of changes will take place in the behaviour of great tits and we will try to keep an eye on their doings.

 

The day’s events are in the LK forum: LINK

 

Great tit observations: LINK