A common species at bird-tables, these attractive little birds are found throughout Europe, Asia and north west Africa.

Physical description
Blue tits have a wingspan of 12-14cm, a body length of 12cm and weigh about 11g.

They have yellow under-parts with blue wings, a blue tail and a blue cap. Adults have white cheeks, but those of the juveniles are yellow. When they are excited, they raise the short crest on their nape.

Distribution
They range throughout Europe (widespread in the UK), Asia and North West Africa.

Habitat
Blue tits inhabit deciduous woodland, parks, gardens and farmland hedges.

Diet
They feed on small insects, spiders, fruits, seeds and nectar.

Behaviour
Blue tits forage for food in the tree canopy, although they do spend some time on the ground searching for food, especially in the winter. Males are generally monogamous although some have been recorded breeding with two females.

Reproduction
The timing of the egg-laying and the size of the clutch is related to the abundance of moth caterpillars. The nest is cup-shaped and made of moss and grass and lined with hair, feathers and wool, positioned in a hole in a tree or wall. The female lays 7-13 eggs in April-May, which she incubates for 12-16 days. The male feeds the female while she is brooding, and when the chicks hatch, both parents feed them. The chicks fledge after 19 days. Blue tits sometimes rear two broods a year, but this almost never happens in Britain.

Conservation status
Blue tits are not considered to be globally threatened. They are generally very common throughout their range. There may be 3,300,000 pairs in Britain today.

Voice
Blue tits have a range of calls, including seeseedu and cherrrr-errr-err, but the song is a cheerful tsee-tsee-tsu-tsuhuhu.