Crested Tit
Lophophanes cristatus
The crested tit hoards seeds under lichen on pine branches and can remember the locations of hundreds of individual food caches.
- Scientific name
- Lophophanes cristatus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Paridae › Lophophanes
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Coniferous and mixed forests, showing a strong preference for mature Scots pine and Norway spruce woodlands.
- Diet
- Insects, spiders, and conifer seeds, which they frequently cache for winter.
- Range
- Europe, Scotland, Scandinavia, Iberian Peninsula
- Size
- Length: 11-12 cm, Wingspan: 17-20 cm, Weight: 10-13 g
- Lifespan
- 3-5 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Loss of mature pine forests, intensive timber harvesting, and removal of dead standing trees which limits nesting cavities.
- Safe to approach?
- Entirely harmless and delightful to observe. Maintain a respectful distance of 5-10 meters to avoid scaring them. You can attract them in winter using hanging feeders filled with suet or sunflower seeds.
The European crested tit , or simply crested tit ( Lophophanes cristatus ) (formerly Parus cristatus ), is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder in coniferous forests throughout central and northern Europe and in deciduous woodland in France and the Iberian peninsula. In Great Britain, it is chiefly restricted to the ancient pinewoods of Inverness and Strathspey in Scotland, and seldom strays far from its haunts. A few vagrant crested...
Photo: Ken Billington, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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