Great Tit Nesting (Location, Behaviour + Eggs)

A familiar visitor to garden bird feeders, the great tit (Parus major) is common in gardens, parks and woodlands throughout the UK. Like the smaller blue tit, great tits are cavity nesters and will readily use nest boxes on garden trees, as well as natural hollows in trees and holes that have been excavated by woodpeckers and nuthatches.

If you’ve ever wondered how these tiny birds raise their young, keep reading as we’ll be looking at all aspects of great tit nesting.

Great tits are no strangers to back gardens, and will readily use a manmade nest box to raise their young. Natural nest choices include small holes and cracks in tree trunks and occasionally hollows made by other birds.

Due to the advances in nest box cameras, we’re in the privileged position of knowing more about great tit nesting habits than we do about those of many other bird species.

By observing footage of nest construction, incubation and the earliest days of hatchlings, there is a wealth of first-hand information available, which offers valuable insight into the timings and behaviour of breeding great tits.

So if you’d like to learn more about the early days of these tuneful and colourful garden visitors, then please do read on.

Great Tit collecting nesting materials

Nest Location

Where do Great Tits nest?

Great tits nest in parks, gardens, and woodland - and will use nest boxes, pipes, gutters, and air vents, as well as naturally occurring holes in tree trunks.

They nest from heights of around 1 m in garden trees and nest boxes, and have been observed nesting in cavities up to 12 m or higher in woodlands.

Do Great Tits nest in the same place every year?

Great tits do revisit nest boxes in which they have successfully raised their young in previous years. It is recommended that these boxes are cleaned out at the end of each breeding season, so a new nest can be built inside.

Old nests carry the risk of parasite infestation and will not be reused, but starting a fresh nest in the same cavity is commonly reported.

Do Great Tits nest in gardens?

Although not as common a back garden nester as a blue tit, great tits will use garden nesting boxes and, if present, natural cavities in garden trees.

Great tits forage for caterpillars, which are in abundance in their natural woodland habitats, but not quite so common in gardens. But if shrubbery that caterpillars feast on is present, and a sheltered, quiet enough spot is available, then they will readily move in.

Great Tit seeking out a suitable place for nesting

Do Great Tits use nest boxes?

Great tits are one of the most common species to set up home in a garden nest box. They will even attempt to take over a nest box that has already been occupied by a smaller species, such as a blue tit.

Nest boxes with an opening of 28 mm (1.1 in) are suitable for accommodating great tits and their families of hatchlings.

What trees do Great Tits nest in?

Small holes in tree trunks offer ideal nest cavities for breeding great tits, and tree species do not seem to be of particular importance.

Different types of cavity, including natural knotholes, elongated crevices and hollows created by woodpeckers, are all observed to be used by breeding great tits. These can be seen in a range of tree species, including hornbeam, oak, birch and rowan.

How high are Great Tit nests?

Great tits use nest boxes that are mounted between 1m and 5m (3.3 ft and 16.4 ft) above the ground, mirroring their preferred natural nest locations. Natural nest sites in trees are observed at even greater heights of up to 12 m (39.3 ft).

Female Great Tit warming her eggs in the nest

Nest Appearance

What do Great Tit nests look like?

Great tits line the bottom of their nest cavity or nest box with moss, grasses and straw, and then form a rounded woven inner cup from dried grasses and straw, which is then lined with feathers and softer nesting materials.

How big are Great Tit nests?

Nest size varies according to the cavity that is being used, and the inner cup needs to be large enough to contain up to 18 eggs and potentially 18 rapidly growing chicks.

Nest boxes with openings larger than 28 mm tend not to be used by great tits as these are at a greater risk of being raided by predatory birds, such as wrynecks or woodpeckers.

A great tit nest inside a nest box, with eight chicks

Phenology

What time of year do Great Tits nest?

Great tits usually start showing nesting behaviour from late March to early April, ahead of breeding, which usually begins in April or May. As early as January, females may have already started checking out empty nest boxes with potential nesting spots in mind.

How long do Great Tits nest for?

Nest-building is an unhurried affair for great tits, taking up to two weeks to perfect the construction. Female great tits incubate their eggs for 13 days, after which hatchlings are fed in the nest for between 16 and 22 days before they are ready to fledge.

What month do Great Tits lay eggs?

Eggs are usually laid in April, although it’s not uncommon for laying to continue into May in years with colder springs.

Where do Great Tits nest in the winter?

Frequently in winter months, great tits can be observed entering empty nest boxes that have been out of use since the end of that year’s breeding season.

Nest boxes offer a safe, warm shelter from winter weather, and curious females, scoping out future nesting possibilities, may return to an empty nest box when the weather outside gets too cold to bear.

Great tit feeding her hungry chicks

Nest Construction

How do Great Tits build their nests?

Female great tits weave grasses, moss and other plant fibres together to create a strong cup-shaped nest inside their chosen cavity. Nests are sturdy and the interior is reasonably spacious, as it needs to safely contain the large number of eggs in a typical great tit clutch.

What do Great Tits use for nesting?

Common nesting materials gathered by nesting great tits include:

• Grass
• Plant fibres
• Moss
• Hair
• Wool
• Feathers

Do male or female Great Tits build the nest?

Only female great tits play any part in constructing the nest. Males do not help with gathering nest materials, with females using their expertise to collect what they need and craft it into the desired shape inside the cavity or nest box they have chosen to use.

Great Tit gathering nesting materials, for nest construction inside of the cavity

Eggs

What do Great Tit eggs look like?

Great tits lay glossy white eggs, which are smooth in texture and speckled with reddish-brown markings. Eggs measure 1.8 cm by 1.4 cm (0.7 in by 0.6 in).

How many eggs do Great Tits lay?

Great tit nests are frequently raided by predators, such as weasels or woodpeckers, and to maximise the chance of survival of the species, it is common for a large number of eggs to be laid in each clutch.

Great tit clutches can contain between 5 and 18 eggs, with an average of 12.

Not all of these will be fertile, and any that are unviable will be ejected from the nest by the female.

Do male Great Tits sit on eggs?

Only female great tits incubate eggs. Incubation lasts for 13 days, during which time the male brings food to the nesting female.

Unhatched Great Tit eggs inside of the nest

Fledgling and Parental Care

When do baby Great Tits leave the nest?

Fledging takes place between 16 and 22 days, with fledglings often, but not always, leaving the nest on the same day.

How many broods do Great Tits have?

Great tits usually raise one single brood in a season, with the clutch being laid in April of May. On rare occasions, a second brood may successfully be raised, but such cases are not common.

Great Tit chick about to leave the nesting box

FAQs

How to attract nesting Great Tits?

Nest boxes with openings of around 28 mm (1.1 in), at the height of between 1 m and 5 m (3.3 ft and 16.4 ft), are ideal for attracting nesting great tits. The opening should face between north and east to offer maximum shelter from the hottest direct sunlight.

Great tits will visit garden feeders, and are particularly partial to sunflower seeds, peanuts, fat and mealworms. Caterpillars are a key element of a great tit’s diet, so planting shrubs that attract caterpillars will, in turn, bring great tits to your garden.

Do Great Tits abandon their nests?

If a nest fails or is disturbed by a larger bird, an animal or a human, it will be abandoned by the nesting great tit pair. Nests built close to sites where there is frequent human activity, or a lot of noise are less than desirable, and if the disruption proves too much for a nesting great tit, they may decide to desert their eggs.

Two young Great tit chicks peeking outside of the nest hole

Do Great Tits nest on the ground?

It’s unusual for a great tit to choose a ground-level nesting spot for fear of disturbance from predators. Gaps in low garden walls may be used if there is a lack of preferable spots, but usually, nest locations preferred by great tits are at least 1 m (3.3 ft) above the ground.

Where do Great Tits nest at night?

Most of the time, great tits will roost in trees overnight, close to the main trunk and often close to other birds, for the benefit of warmth and safety. Great tits may sometimes roost in empty nest boxes or tree cavities at night outside of the breeding season, particularly in colder weather.