The Eurasian blue tit is a small passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. It is easily recognised by its blue and yellow plumage and small size.
Region
Europe and Western Asia
Typical Environment
Found widely across much of Europe into western Asia, occupying woodlands, parks, hedgerows, orchards, and gardens. It favors deciduous and mixed forests, especially with oak where caterpillars are abundant in spring. It avoids dense, unbroken conifer stands but uses mixed conifer-broadleaf edges. Common in suburban areas where feeders and nest boxes are provided. Often joins mixed-species flocks outside the breeding season.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
A nimble acrobat, the Eurasian blue tit often hangs upside down while foraging among twigs and foliage. It readily uses nest boxes and is a common visitor to garden feeders. In mid-20th century Britain it became famous for learning to pierce milk-bottle foil caps to reach the cream, a classic example of cultural transmission in birds.
Eurasian blue tit on a ground, April.
Blue tit displaying aggression during ringing
Juvenile in Pimlico, London
Eurasian blue tit eating peanuts from a string, Italy
Blue tit on a feeder in winter in Russia
A bald blue tit with mite disease
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with agile, bounding movements
Social Behavior
Monogamous pairs nest in cavities or nest boxes, lining them with moss, feathers, and hair. Clutches are large, often 7–12 eggs, timed to coincide with spring caterpillar peaks. Outside breeding, they form small flocks and frequently join mixed-species foraging parties with other tits and small passerines.
Migratory Pattern
Mostly resident; partial migrant in northern and eastern populations
Song Description
A bright, high-pitched series of clear notes and trills, often rendered as repeated 'tsi-tsi-tsi' or two-part phrases. Scolding calls are sharp, buzzy churrs and thin seee notes given in excitement.
Plumage
Compact tit with a blue cap, white cheeks bordered by a black eye stripe and collar, greenish back, blue wings and tail, and bright yellow underparts.
Diet
In spring and summer it feeds heavily on caterpillars, aphids, spiders, and other small invertebrates, which are crucial for nestlings. In autumn and winter it adds seeds, nuts, and berries, and readily takes suet and peanuts at feeders. It gleans prey from leaves and buds and will probe crevices in bark and twigs.
Preferred Environment
Forages mainly in the outer canopy and on fine twigs of deciduous trees and shrubs. In human-dominated landscapes it frequently visits gardens and feeders, moving between shrubs and tree crowns.
