Blue tit

Cyanistes caeruleus

(Photo from Wallpaper Pond)

Common name:

blue tit (en); chapim-azul (pt); mésange bleue (fr); herrerillo común (es); blaumeise (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Paridae

Range:

The blue tit is widely distributed in Europe, from Scandinavia in the north down to the Mediterranean and from the British Islands in the west all the way to the Urals in Russian. They are also present in northwest Africa and the Canary Islands, and in the Near East, through Turkey and the Caucasus, and all the way to northwestern Iran.

Size:

This small passerine is 10,5-12 cm long. They have a wingspan of 18 cm and weigh 11 g.

Habitat:

The blue tit uses a wide range of habitats. They are most frequently found in deciduous woodland, in pasture farmland, and in gardens and parks within villages and towns. They can also be found in scrubland and arable farmland, and even in vegetated coastal and inland wetlands.

Diet:

In the spring and summer they are mostly carnivorous, eating spiders and insects, including several agricultural pests like coccids and aphids. In the winter they mostly eat fruits and berries.

Breeding:

The blue tit will nest in any suitable hole in a tree, wall, or stump, or an artificial nest box. In April-May they lay 8-10 eggs, which are incubated for 13-15 days by the female. The altricial chicks fledge after 18-21 days. Blue tits start breeding at 1 year of age and produce 1 to 2 broods per year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

The blue tit population is estimated at 10 million and believed to be increasing. The already large breeding range is also increasing, both justifying that the species is not considered threatened at present.