On any winter morning, a garden bird feeder becomes a masterclass in aerial acrobatics as the UK's tit family demonstrates why they're among our most charming garden visitors.
These small, energetic birds turn feeding into an art form, swinging upside down from branches and performing split-second manoeuvres that would make a gymnast jealous.
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleus
Length
11.5-12cm
Wingspan
18-20cm
Weight
9-12g
Regional Rarity Score
Ranges from 0 (common) to 100 (extremely rare) in this region
The blue tit might be common, but there's nothing ordinary about this bold little character.
Found throughout the UK, from city centres to remote highlands, they're one of our most adaptable garden birds. Their vivid blue crest and yellow belly make them instantly recognisable at garden feeders.
Watch them closely - they've learned to hover briefly like a tiny helicopter, snatching sunflower seeds before darting away. They're also remarkably acrobatic, often feeding upside down at the very tips of branches where larger birds can't reach.
During spring, you might spot them investigating every possible cavity in garden walls or trees. They're notorious for nesting in peculiar places, from letterboxes to pipe ends, somehow squeezing up to 12 chicks into spaces that seem impossibly small.
Great Tit
Parus major
Length
14-16cm
Wingspan
24-26cm
Weight
14-22g
Regional Rarity Score
Ranges from 0 (common) to 100 (extremely rare) in this region
Larger and more assertive than their blue cousins, great tits command attention at feeding stations.
Widespread across the UK's woodlands, parks, and gardens, they're particularly common in England and Wales, though you'll find them right up into northern Scotland.
Watch them closely at feeders - they'll often quickly grab a sunflower seed, fly to a nearby branch and wedge it into the bark before hammering it open. This approach to feeding is one of the things that sets them apart from the more hurried eating habits of other tits.
Come spring, they become incredibly vocal, with males belting out their two-note song from the tops of trees, each one trying to outcompete his neighbours with subtle variations in pitch and tempo.
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatus
Length
13-15cm
Wingspan
16-19cm
Weight
7-9g
Regional Rarity Score
Ranges from 0 (common) to 100 (extremely rare) in this region
Though not true tits (they're actually part of the Aegithalidae family), these charming birds bring a touch of whimsy to winter gardens. Found throughout lowland Britain, they're particularly common in England's hedgerows and woodland edges.
Their nests are engineering marvels - elastic pouches of spider silk, lichen, and up to 2,000 feathers. The construction process can take weeks, with the birds meticulously weaving materials together to create a stretchy structure that can accommodate growing chicks.
During harsh nights, family members huddle together in a line on a branch, sharing warmth - the middle spots are prime real estate in winter. This social behaviour helps explain why they're often seen in groups, even outside the breeding season.
Coal Tit
Periparus ater
Length
10-11.5cm
Wingspan
17-21cm
Weight
8-10g
Regional Rarity Score
Ranges from 0 (common) to 100 (extremely rare) in this region
Masters of the quick grab-and-dash, coal tits are the sprinters of the bird feeder.
While common throughout the UK, they're particularly numerous in Scotland's conifer plantations and native pine forests, though they readily adapt to suburban gardens with mature trees nearby.
One garden study found a single coal tit made over 100 trips in an hour, storing food in locations up to 100 meters apart. They're especially active in autumn, creating thousands of food caches to sustain them through winter.
These smallest of the common garden tits make up for their size with remarkable memory and energy. Their dark cap and white cheek patches might look similar to great tits, but their feeding style is uniquely their own.
Marsh Tit
Poecile palustris
Length
11.5-12.5cm
Wingspan
18-20cm
Weight
9-12g
Regional Rarity Score
Ranges from 0 (common) to 100 (extremely rare) in this region
Often overlooked and frequently confused with their willow tit cousins, marsh tits are woodland specialists found mainly in southern and eastern England.
Despite their name, they prefer mature deciduous woodland to marshland, particularly areas with a dense understorey.
Unlike most tits, they tend to feed at lower levels, systematically working their way through the understory. Watch closely - they have a habit of taking food items to a favoured perch, holding them with their feet, and pecking them open with surprising precision.
Willow Tit
Poecile montanus
Length
11-12cm
Wingspan
17-19cm
Weight
9-14g
Regional Rarity Score
Ranges from 0 (common) to 100 (extremely rare) in this region
Britain's most threatened resident bird, willow tits have disappeared from many southern areas but maintain strongholds in parts of Wales, northern England, and Scotland. They favour young, damp woodland with plenty of standing dead wood for nesting.
Their feeding style is deliberate and thorough. They work methodically through branches, probing every crack and crevice for insects. In winter, they cache food like their relatives but uniquely prefer to store items close to ground level in bramble thickets and low vegetation.
Unlike other tits that use existing holes, they carve out their own nest cavities in soft, dead wood. They're remarkably faithful to their territories, often staying in the same area year-round.
Crested Tit
Lophophanes cristatus
Length
11-12cm
Wingspan
17-20cm
Weight
10-13g
Regional Rarity Score
Ranges from 0 (common) to 100 (extremely rare) in this region
The punk rockers of the tit family, crested tits, are almost exclusively found in the ancient Caledonian pine forests around Inverness and the Spey Valley in Scotland. Their distinctive pointed crest raises and lowers with their mood, making them one of our most characterful birds.
Their feeding technique is truly spectacular. They've mastered the art of extracting pine seeds, hanging upside down to probe cone scales with their fine-pointed bill. During winter, watch them create larders in pine bark, carefully arranging seeds in crevices for later retrieval.
Some dedicated birdwatchers make special trips to the Highlands just to spot these charismatic birds, often focusing their search around the RSPB's Abernethy Forest reserve, one of the most reliable places to see them.
Watching these birds throughout the seasons reveals an intricate social network. Winter feeding flocks often form hierarchies, with great tits typically dominant, followed by blue tits, while the smaller species dart in opportunistically.
These mixed groups act as information centres - when one bird discovers a rich food source, others quickly follow.
Remarkably, each species has carved out its own feeding niche: blue tits work the outer twigs, great tits prefer larger branches, while coal tits specialise in trunk crevices.