Great Tit
Parus major
In lean winters, some populations have been observed hunting hibernating pipistrelle bats in caves.
- Scientific name
- Parus major
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Paridae › Parus
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Deciduous woodlands, mixed forests, parks, and suburban gardens.
- Diet
- Insects, caterpillars, and spiders during breeding; seeds, nuts, and fruit in winter.
- Range
- Europe, Asia, North Africa
- Size
- 12.5 to 14 cm in length; wingspan of 23 to 26 cm.
- Lifespan
- 3 years average, record of 15 years.
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Pesticide use reducing prey availability and extreme weather events during nesting.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and curious. They are frequent garden visitors; maintain a respectful distance from nests. If found injured, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator.
The great tit ( Parus major ) is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common species throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central and Northern Asia, and parts of North Africa where it is generally resident in any sort of woodland; most great tits do not migrate except in extremely harsh winters. Until 2005 this species was lumped with numerous other subspecies. DNA studies have shown these other subspecies to be distinctive...
Photo: hedera.baltica, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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