Blue Tit or Great Tit: What Are The Differences?

Throughout the UK and Europe, you’ll find several species of tits from the Paridae family, including the Blue Tit and Great Tit. Both of these birds are exceptionally common in the UK and mainland Europe.

However, despite how often we might spot them, they’re still some of the most readily confused birds around. Here, we’ll investigate the differences between these two garden birds.

The best way to tell the difference is that Great Tits are larger than Blue Tits and have an overall darker plumage than Blue Tits. Great Tits have dark heads, wings and stripe running down their heads. Blue Tits have blue heads, white cheeks and black eye stripes. Both share the same yellow belly.

As the name suggests, Great Tits are larger than the Blue tit. In fact, some Great tits can weigh double that of a Blue tit (20g vs 10g). Their wingspans are also around 6 to 8 cm larger. They also have a dark blue head and lack the blue wings of the Blue tit.

In terms of personality, Great Tits tend to have much bolder personalities, and around feeders, they will use their larger size to dominate them from smaller species, like the Blue Tit.

Once you’ve spotted a few Blue tits and Great tits, telling them apart visually is fairly straightforward. However, there are many other interesting differences between these two delightful birds - so read on to learn more!

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Distribution Range differences

Blue tits and Great tits share almost identical distribution ranges in Europe and parts of the Middle East, but Great tits extend much further east and south to Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia in North Africa and Mongolia and China in eastern Europe.

While the Blue tit inhabits parts of eastern Europe and the Middle East, including Iraq, Iran, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, North Macedonia and Syria, it doesn’t extend nearly as far as the Great tit.

While the Blue tit’s full name is the Eurasian Blue tit, it’s primarily a bird of central and western Europe.

Blue Tit (left) and Great Tit (right) perched on a branch

Which is more common, Blue Tits or Great Tits

Owing to its more extensive distribution range, the Great tit population is also considerably larger than the Blue tit population. The global Great tit population may extend to over 1 billion birds, whereas there are some 44 million Blue tits.

Average estimates place the Great tit population at least double that of the Blue tit.

In much of Europe and the UK, Blue tits and Great tits populations are almost fairly well balanced. In the UK, there are probably more Blue tits (approx. 3 million) vs Blue tits (2 million).

In the UK, estimates show that there are thought to be more Blue Tits than Great Tits

Which is bigger, a Blue Tit or a Great Tit

The Great tit is aptly named and is the largest tit in the UK. Blue tits aren’t too much smaller and aren’t among the smallest tits, but the size difference is still relatively obvious in the garden or in the field.

Blue tit measurements

Blue tits measure around 12 cm (4.7 in), long with a wingspan of 18 cm (7.1 in). They weigh about 11 g (0.39 oz). Males and females are virtually the same size and weight.

Great tit measurements

Great tits measure around 12.5 to 14 cm (4.9 to 5.5 in) with a wingspan of 20 to 25 cm (7.9 to 10 in). They weigh around 14 to 22 g (0.5 to 0.7 oz).

Great Tits are larger than Blue Tits

Other differences between Blue Tits and Great Tits

Behaviour differences

Blue tits and Great tits differ in personality, with Blue tits rating as the quicker, more active bird, though both are capable of fast and agile acrobatic flight.

Blue tits are perhaps more skittish, whereas Great tits are calmer and more purposeful in their actions unless they’re being aggressive. Moreover, Great tits are more likely to feed on the ground than Blue tits.

Both birds can be aggressive around bird feeders, but Great tits typically win due to their superior size and strength. Confrontations between these tits are not uncommon but rarely result in harm.

Research suggests that Great tits vary in personality and flock together in groups according to their individual personalities. For example, more introverted birds flock with other introverted birds, and so on.

Nesting

Both birds are cavity nesters, and often compete over the same nesting sites. Great tits may evict Blue tits from their nests.

Close up of a Great Tit

Song and vocalisations

Both birds are vocal and capable of an array of advanced calls and songs. In the case of the Blue tit, most songs are high-pitched and short with a trilled end. Great tits probably have the more fully-featured repertoire, with over 40 songs and vocalisations being recorded.

Common songs include distinctive two-note songs, one of which sounds like teacher teacher. Both birds have alarm calls too, and Blue tits especially are known to draw attention to ground predators such as cats in what’s known as ‘scolding’.

However, blue tit songs are less definitive, sounding something like tsee-tsee-tsee-di-di-di-di.

Breeding

Both the Blue tit and Great tit are generally monogamous, forming a pair bond each breeding season and maintaining it for that season at least.

It’s unclear how many will re-pair with the same bird the next year, but this is probably rare. While monogamous, some 20 to 40% of Blue tit and Great tit nests contain at least one chick sired by a different father.

In terms of nest building and feeding, the female handles the majority of nest building, while both birds feed the young chicks.

Pair of Blue Tits perched on a branch

Female Blue Tit vs female Great Tit

The differences between male and female Great tits are much more pronounced than between male and female Blue tits, which are very similar.

Male Great tits have a thicker black stripe on the belly, whereas females have a thinner black stripe. Female plumage is slightly duller overall. Males are also very marginally larger than females.

Female Blue tits are slightly duller than males too, but you’d be skilled to spot the difference with the naked eye. You’re much more likely to identify males in the spring when they display courtship distances to single females.

Pair of Great Tits in the water

Juvenile Blue Tit vs juvenile Great Tit

Juvenile Blue tits are very green overall, in contrast to the bluer adults. In fact, aside from the black eye stripe of the adults, juvenile Blue tits are quite markedly different until they moult into their adult plumage.

Juvenile Great tits are perhaps more similar to the adults but lack the darker blue stripe and wings and green stomach, appearing duller overall.

Juvenile Blue Tit

Juvenile Great Tit