FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
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Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Have you heard of these colorful garden birds? These birds are famed for their acrobatic skills, as they will hang upside down from branches and feeders to obtain their snacks! So, let's take a trip to the European woodlands and gardens to discover some interesting facts about these active-agile birds.
The blue tit is one of the most popular and common European garden birds with the most attractive and colorful appearance. The scientific name of this species is Cyanistes caeruleus and they are also commonly known as the Eurasian blue tit. They are a common sight in Europe and are easily identified by their small blue crown, white head, black eyestripes, greeny-blue feathers, yellow belly, and blue wings and tail. They are often confused with the great tit, which looks similar but is larger than the blue tit bird. A male and female look similar, but males have blue crowns that appear brighter under ultraviolet light. The female tit selects her mate and nesting location for breeding. Their nest is a small cup mainly made from moss, dried grasses, and leaves lined with hair, wool, and feathers.
Continue reading to learn more exciting blue tit bird facts and why not learn about other species like the Blackburnian warbler and the rusty blackbird here?
The blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is the most enchanting small passerine bird. They are usually residents, non-migrant breeders, and persistent visitors to garden feeders.
The blue tit, also known as the Eurasian blue tit, belongs to the Aves class and is in the tit family, Paridae.
Blue tit numbers are estimated to be around 3.4 million pairs in the UK.
Blue tit birds are found widely throughout Europe (including in Ireland and the United Kingdom) and in parts of the Middle East, western Asia, and North Africa.
They inhabit various habitats like deciduous or mixed woodlands, hedgerows, tree holes, parks, and gardens. They are also highly adaptable to nest in artificial nest boxes in urban gardens.
Blue-tit birds are very social. In winter, they join up in large flocks with other bird species to search for food. They are seen in pairs during the breeding season.
A blue tit tends to live for around three to 11 years. The current longevity record for this species is 10 years and three months in Britain and 11 years and seven months for a bird in the Czech Republic!
A blue tit's breeding season takes place between April and late June. They usually produce two broods in a year. First, the female builds the nest alone, usually in a hole in a tree, wall, stump, or in artificial nest boxes, often competing with the great tit or house sparrow for suitable nesting places. Then the female bird lays seven to 14 eggs in a clutch. Eggs are 0.55-0.71 in (14-18 mm) long and 0.42-0.53 in (10.7-13.5 mm) wide. The size of the eggs depends mostly on the size of individual females and their habitat.
The female will incubate the eggs, which last about 12 to 16 days, while the male bird is responsible for providing food in the nest, in a process called courtship feeding. The young chicks spend three weeks in the nest before fledging and are fed by both parents with caterpillars and insects.
As per the IUCN Red List, this species is classified as Least Concern. At present, there are no significant threats, and blue tit numbers have been increasing.
Blue tit birds have a distinctive appearance with an azure-blue crown, a black bill, white cheeks, black eye stripes, and a yellow belly. Also, their nape, wings, and tail are blue with a yellowish-green back.
The blue tit is the most attractive garden bird. These birds look pretty cute with a bright and colorful mix of blue, yellow, and white cheeks, and green feathers.
Blue tit birds are a species in the order of songbirds and so they make various calls to communicate. The calls they make can be classified as contact calls, scolding calls, copulation calls, feeding calls, or distress calls.
Contact calls are short calls to stay in touch with each other birds to inform them of their location. Scolding calls are made as an alarm call to warn ground predators and accompany aggressive interactions. The 'seeet' call is an alarm call for predators in the sky like sparrowhawks. A distress call is made when a predator seizes a blue tit and the feeding call is a short, low-pitched call that parent birds make when they have food for chicks. Juveniles use a begging call to beg for food from their parents.
A blue tit can reach around 4.7 in (12 cm) in length and have a wingspan ranging from 6.9-7.9 in (17.5-20 cm). They are half the size of a robin.
Blue tit birds are small and relatively slow birds. During the breeding season, a male performs flight displays to attract females. Their average flying speed is around 15.5-21 mph (25-34 kph).
The blue tit is an elegant little bird weighing around 0.39 oz (11 g).
A female is known as a female blue tit, and a male bird is known as the male blue tit.
Baby blue tit birds are called chicks or sometimes hatchlings, nestlings, or fledglings. Young blue tit birds can be easily recognizable as most of their blue coloring is subdued to greenish and they have yellow cheeks.
Blue tit birds are active feeders of caterpillars, insects, and spiders. They regularly visit garden bird feeders and feed on fruits and seeds in the winter season, especially when insect prey is scarce. They are well-known as the valuable destroyers of garden and agriculture pests, including many Lepidoptera species like the wood tiger moth, coccids, and aphids. When nesting, these birds feed mainly on caterpillars to their young.
Blue tit birds are quite friendly birds that are often found in urban gardens and are not dangerous to humans.
Blue-tit birds make good pets since they are drawn to urban gardens to build their nest and can adapt to artificial nest boxes. A nest box with a small round entrance hole and peanut feeders will attract blue tits to nest in your gardens.
One of the most fun facts about the blue tit bird is that blue tit birds will have more intensely yellow underparts, depending on the number of yellowy-green caterpillars eaten as they contain carotene pigments.
They lay eggs specifically during the time of year when green caterpillars are abundant, thus providing food for their young birds. To rear a brood of blue tit birds, nearly 10,000 green caterpillars may be consumed!
Male blue-tit birds are polygamous and mate with several females.
The blue tit's song is quite distinctive and sounds like 'tsee-see-tsu-hu-hu-hu-hu'. The song is mainly used in late winter to attract mates or to defend their territory. However, their song can sometimes be heard throughout the year.
If you would like some help attracting blue-tit birds to your garden, hang whole peanuts in a mesh container near nest boxes in different areas. Be cautious about domestic cats and sparrowhawks, which are the major predators of tit birds in gardens.
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 belted kingfisher facts and Florida scrub jay facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable blue tit coloring pages.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_blue_tit
https://www.britannica.com/animal/blue-tit
https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/tits-crests-and-warblers/blue-tit
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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