Bird feeder guest - marsh tit
Photos: Arne Ader
Translation: Liis
Marsh tit.
| Marsh tit |
Sootihane, salutihane
|
The less well known tits who visit the feeder will be introduced and compared to start with. In older Estonian bird handbooks the marsh tit is called "sootihane” meaning marsh tit, in newer ones "salutihane”, coppice tit. It looks similar to the willow tit to the point of confusion.
The head of the marsh tit is glossy, that of the willow tit a dull black. The chin patch of our "star of the day" is smaller but determining the species from this is a matter of relative judgement. The wings have no lengthwise lighter band, they are uniformly brown. The lower half, mandible, of the marsh tit’s beak has a small pale spot, the beak of the willow tit is all dark. Female and male birds are similar in both species. Both species have visited the feeder; a watcher must be very observant. There are a number of folk names for the marsh tit, and the same names are also used for the willow tit.
The estimated winter number is around a hundred thousand in mainland Estonia.
Tomorrow the willow tit will be introduced in "sight and sound”.
Luckily Arne’s photo bank has material for illustration of nearly any bird situation.
Willow tit.
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