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Poecile montanus
Very similar in appearance to the more common marsh tit, willow tits are small, elusive birds, found in wooded wetlands and gravel tits. Unique among members of the tit family, willow tits excavate their own nest cavities in the trunks of decaying trees.
Willow Tit
Willow Tit perched on a tree branch in a UK woodland
A breeding pair of Willow Tits
Willow Tit gathering nesting materials
Length:
11.5cm
Wingspan:
17cm to 20.5cm
Weight:
8g to 14g
Willow tits are small, active birds, ranking in size between the larger great tit and smaller blue tit. Males and females are alike in appearance and size.
Willow tits have a long, dull sooty brown-black cap that extends down the nape. Under their thin grey bill is a small black bib, and they have large white patches on the sides of their face. Their back is greyish-brown, and their underparts are buff.
A lighter panel on the willow tit’s wings helps to distinguish them from the very similar marsh tit.
Juvenile willow tits are also very similar in appearance to adults, but their black cap is duller than in adult birds, and their plumage is generally paler all over.
Willow tits are small and agile, roughly the same size as a coal tit, but slightly larger than a wren and a blue tit. There is no difference in size or weight between male and female birds.
Close up of a perched Willow Tit
The most commonly heard call of a willow tit is a nasal-sounding ‘dzee-dzee-dzee’, which is used as a reliable way of identifying the species. Another frequently heard call repeats an ‘ipsee, ipsee’ sound several times in quick succession.
The diet of willow tits consists of a mixture of insects, larvae and caterpillars, supplemented with seeds and berries in autumn and winter.
In their natural waterside habitats, crane flies are among the most commonly eaten insect prey. Willow tits do occasionally visit garden feeders in winter, and are observed to store food under bark to eat at a later time.
Baby willow tits are fed in the nest by both parents, who bring larvae and tiny insects for their young.
Willow Tit eating seeds from the ground
Willow tits are commonly seen in thickets and scrubland in wetland and marsh areas, as well as in willow and alder carr and around gravel pits.
Hedgerows and areas of woodland with vegetation at a height of 2 m to 4 m (6.6 ft to 13.1 ft), are popular spots for willow tits to live, particularly those with plenty of willow, hawthorn, birch and alder.
Willow tits are widespread, common residents throughout Europe and across northern Asia. They are found from the United Kingdom and Norway in the west, to Russia and Japan in the east.
Willow tits are most commonly found in woodlands with birch and alder, as well as mixed hedgerows, scrubland and watery gravel pits.
While they used to be a common breeding bird in the UK, their main range is now limited to mid-Wales, northern England, the Midlands, and parts of southern Scotland.
Woodlands and hedgerows are two of the best places to spot Willow tits
Referred to as Britain’s most threatened breeding bird, willow tit populations are in decline, with numbers estimated at around 2,750 breeding pairs in 2016.
Due to their declining numbers, it’s far more unusual to spot a willow tit, although in certain regions, conservation organisations have made huge efforts to improve and preserve habitats in an attempt to eventually lead to a revival of the species.
The Mersey Valley in Cheshire was once a stronghold of the species with nearly 300 pairs, but numbers have now dropped to less than 50 pairs.
Similar habitat improvement projects were carried out in Yorkshire’s Dearne Valley, where conservationists worked to restore wet woodlands to provide a safe environment for breeding willow tits.
Willow tit in flight
The average lifespan of willow tits is 3 years. Ring recovery data from Finland reported a bird in its 11th year, and this grand old age was matched by a banded willow tit found in Nottingham.
Willow tit nests are commonly predated by great spotted woodpeckers, and an increase in woodpecker numbers is thought to have contributed significantly to the decline of the UK’s willow tit population.
As willow tits are quite vocal during the nest-construction phase, it leaves them vulnerable to opportunistic predators that inhabit the same woodlands, for example, grey squirrels.
Close up front view of a Willow tit
As well as being protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981, willow tits have been identified as a priority conservation species on the UK biodiversity action plan.
Legislation exists to safeguard willow tits, their nest sites and their young and eggs from being interfered with, and conservation efforts around the country are aiming to improve and protect their habitats in the wild, in a bid to stop the population from declining further.
Willow tits have been added to the UK Birds of Conservation Concern Red List following a major decline in numbers in recent decades, falling by 86 percent between 1995 and 2020.
This loss is believed to have been caused partly by degradation in habitat and a lack of available nest sites – willow tits often spend a long time excavating their nest cavity only to be evicted by blue tits or great tits before they can successfully raise their young.
Nest predation by great spotted woodpeckers is another key issue, and the fall in willow tit numbers is matched by corresponding growth in the great spotted woodpecker population.
Willow tit calling from a perch
Willow tits build nests in wet woodlands, excavating their own cavities in rotting wood and dead trees.
Males and females both drill out the hollow, with the female doing most of the work. The pair then carries the chippings a short distance away in an attempt to detract attention from the nest site.
The inner base of the cavity is lined with wood chippings, animal fur and feathers before eggs are laid. Occasionally a nest box may be used by breeding willow tits, but unless it is filled with wood chippings for them to excavate, pairs will be reluctant to move in.
Willow tits’ eggs are white with brownish-red speckles. They are small, measuring 16 mm by 12 mm, and are smooth and glossy. A typical clutch contains 5 to 13 eggs, and is incubated by the female alone for 13 to 15 days.
Willow tit pairs mate for life, raising one brood together each year.
Willow tit excavating a nesting hole in a tree
Due to their diminutive size, willow tits are regularly targeted or evicted from their nest sites by other larger species. They rarely put up any resistance to the intruders and will simply move on and, if it is early enough in the season, attempt to renest elsewhere.
Studies suggest that some degree of aggression may be shown towards other willow tits when loose winter feeding flocks are formed.
Willow tits are sedentary birds and remain in their territories all year round.
With their tiny size, you might think that they’d struggle to survive in winter months, yet data suggests this is not the case, and as long as food is available, willow tits can cope with plunging temperatures without needing to relocate.
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