Fun Japanese Tit Facts For Kids

Do you want to learn about various birds found across the world? You are going to love reading about the Japanese tit. The Japanese tit (Parus minor) is closely related to the great tit (Parus major).

Previously, the Japanese tit was thought to be the subspecies of the great tit. However, it has recently been found that the two species are just closely related. The two species are even known to share a similar habitat and distribution range.

The Japanese tit is a little bird found in parts of Asia and Europe. It is quite widespread in Japan especially in Hokkaido, the second-largest amongst the islands in Japan.

This bird is also a resident of the Russian Far East. Apart from Japan and the Russian Far East, they are frequent in Korea, Myanmar, Thailand, and Tibet.

Spotting a Japanese tit bird in parks, orchards, and gardens is a frequent sight across its habitat range. The species of this bird has a number of identified subspecies, each with some similar and some distinguishing features.

Each species of this bird has a long tail and is called long-tailed tit in English. It is also known as an oriental tit throughout its distribution range.

Read on to learn more about the Japanese tit. For more relatable content, check out these swallow-tailed kite facts and brant facts for kids.

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Japanese Tit Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Japanese tit?

A Japanese tit (Parus minor) is a type of bird. This bird belongs to the order Passeriformes and is closely related to the great tit.

What class of animal does a Japanese tit belong to?

A Japanese tit (Parus minor) belongs to the Aves class of the Animalia kingdom. It is a member of the family Paridae and the genus Parus. The scientific name of this bird is Parus minor and is also called the long-tailed tit in English.

How many Japanese tits are there in the world?

The exact number of Japanese tit (Parus minor) birds living in this world is not known. They are Not Evaluated in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature or the IUCN. It can be concluded that there is no immediate threat to their population.

Where does a Japanese tit live?

Japanese tit birds or oriental tit birds are widespread in Europe and Asia. As the name suggests, they are residents of Japan. The second-largest amongst the islands in Japan, Hokkaido, is home to many of these birds.

Japanese tits living in Hokkaido have certain differences in appearance. Apart from Japan, Japanese tits can be found all year around in the Russian Far East, including the Kuril Islands.

These long-tailed tiny birds are also residents of Korea and Tibet. The subspecies of Parus minor, Parus minor nubicolus are found in large numbers in Myanmar, Thailand, and northwest Indochina. Other subspecies like Parus minor subtibetanus and Parus minor tibetanus are found in various parts of China.

The migration of these birds is mostly altitudinal rather than latitudinal. They fly to lower elevations during winter and fall.

What is a Japanese tit's habitat?

The habitat of Japanese tit birds or oriental tit birds is wood-dependent. They are commonly found in forests of their distribution range. These birds mostly prefer mixed and deciduous forests.

They are also commonly found nesting at the edges of dense forests. Apart from forests, Japanese tit birds are a common sight in parks, orchards, and gardens. They can even live near edges of cultivation and places with many trees and bushes.

Who do Japanese tits live with?

A flock of Japanese tits flying is a very common sight in its habitat range. These acrobatic species fly in flocks of up to 50 birds. While foraging, they form pairs or groups.

Sometimes they may even be seen forging in groups of mixed species. However, a Japanese tit foraging singly can also be spotted. A newborn chick lives with its parents until it is able to defend itself without the help of its parents.

How long does a Japanese tit live?

The average lifespan of Japanese tits, with the common English name of long-tailed tit, is not known. However, the mortality rate of adult Japanese tits typically increases after five years. The oldest known bird of this species is a 15 years old Japanese tit.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding season of Japanese tits typically starts from late January and goes on until September. In some places, the breeding season occurs all year round.

Most Japanese tits show monogamous behavior, however, very few numbers of birds may be polygamous. The pair formed during a breeding season generally lasts the entire season and sometimes reunites in the next season.

The nest is usually built in a tree cavity. Nests can also be built in holes of walls, buildings, or faces. The female takes care of building the nests and uses various plant fibers, wool, animal hair, moss, and grasses to build the nest.

The males, on the other hand, take an active part in protecting the territory. Both males and females become aggressive during the breeding season.

Each clutch contains about seven to 10 eggs. The incubation period of Japanese tits is generally 12-15 days. Both parents take part in taking care of the immature chicks. They feed the chicks inside the nests until the chicks are capable to prey without the help of adult birds.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the Japanese tit (Parus minor) is Not Evaluated under the International Union for Conservation of Nature or the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They are quite widespread in their distribution range, so their population is currently not at risk.

Japanese Tit Fun Facts

What do Japanese tits look like?

The Japanese tit (Parus minor), closely related to the great tit bird, is a tiny bird with a large black head. The bird has white patches on its otherwise black face.

This bird has a long tail that is bluish-gray or blue in color. The underparts of the bird are mostly covered in white or pale yellow plumage with black ventral lines. The upper back has either green or blackish green coloration.

Some subspecies of these bird lack black marks and are mostly white. This small Japanese tit has a small bill.

How cute are they?

Like coal tits, Japanese tits are extremely cute birds. The white plumage and the tiny body make them look like a cute little cotton ball.

How do they communicate?

Japanese tits communicate through vocalization. Their calls can be heard all year round. A soft 'pit' or 'squink' call is made while foraging. A 'chink' or 'tink' is made to alert each other

How big is a Japanese tit?

The Japanese tit is a small bird with a long tail. This is the reason it is also known as the Japanese long-tailed tit bird. They have an average body size of 4.9-5.9 in (12.5–15 cm) and they are slightly bigger than coal tit in length.

How fast can a Japanese tit fly?

The Japanese tit is a small active bird. Japanese tit birds can often be sighted flying in their distribution range around the world. However, the exact speed of this bird is not known yet.

How much does a Japanese tit weigh?

A great Japanese tit bird weighs somewhere between 0.4-0.8 oz (11.9–22.1 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Male birds are referred to as cocks, and female birds are referred to as hens.

What would you call a baby Japanese tit?

Just like babies of all species of birds, babies of Japanese tit birds are referred to as chicks.

What do they eat?

These little birds follow an omnivorous diet. The food they intake in summer generally includes various insects. Individuals of this species eat grasshoppers, cockroaches, and damselflies. Other invertebrates like dragonflies, earwigs, and a variety of bugs are food to Japanese tits.

Bees and wasps are also a part of their diet. Larvae of these invertebrates are also food to these birds. Apart from that, they feed on various fruits and seeds, especially in the non-breeding season.

Are they poisonous?

Japanese tits are not poisonous. In fact, they do not pose any danger to humans.

Would they make a good pet?

Japanese tit bird pets are not very common. Even though they are extremely attractive, it is very difficult to maintain them. Moreover, they are active birds and keeping them inside a cage is not a wise idea.

Did you know...

Japanese tits are the first birds that are known to have compositional syntax. This means they are capable of making meaning by combining different words. Syntax was thought to be unique to humans and evidence recently found that a Japanese tit is also capable of this, making this bird pretty special.

Are Japanese tits endangered?

A flock of Japanese tit birds in flight is a very common sight in their habitat range. No conservation efforts are being made at the moment to protect them.

Moreover, the IUCN has Not Evaluated these birds in their Red List of Threatened Species. It can be concluded that they are not endangered. In fact, their population is not known to be facing any threat at the moment.

Do Japanese tits migrate?

Around winter, Japanese tit birds migrate, just like many other birds all over the world. However, the migration of these birds is altitudinal. They fly to lower elevations in flocks during fall or winter.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our Hawaiian hawk facts and griffon vulture facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Japanese Tit coloring pages.