Great tit

Great tit female

Parus major eggs

Great tit nesting in a nest box

The great tit (Parus major) is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is found throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central and Northern Asia, and parts of North Africa. Most great tits do not migrate except in places with harsh winters.^[1]

The great tit has a black head and throat. The back is olive-green and the stomach is yellow. It has a white spot on its cheek. The great tit is 12.5-14.0 centimetres long and weighs 16-21 grams. It is a song bird, and has up to 40 kinds of songs and sounds.

In the summer it eats insects and spiders. The great tit eats for example cockroach and grasshopper.

The female lays about 12 eggs and broods them by herself. Both parents take care of the baby birds. The great tit feeds its fledglings on protein-rich caterpillars.

Great Tit Media

Great tit in Sweden, winter 2016
At Kew Gardens, London. The British subspecies P. m. newtoni has a wider mid-line ventral stripe on the lower belly than the nominate race
In females and juveniles the mid-line stripe is narrower and sometimes discontinuous
The plumage of the male is typically bright, although this varies by subspecies
Female and male great tits
An example of one of the song types of the male Great Tit, recorded in the UK*
Great Tit Parus major : song of a male. Sonagram (Frequency in Kilohertz, Time in seconds) : Maxime Metzmacher, Recording (Seraing / Belgium, 15 March 2011) : Chantal Dengis.
Kohlmeisen Serie. Zwitschernd.
Mixed forests are one of the habitats great tits use in Europe