A wild Coal Tit, Periparus ater, perched on a branch.
Coal Tits are active, friendly little birds, whose natural habit is coniferous woodland, though they are also readily seen in gardens and parks. They nest in holes, so will happily take up residence in a nestbox with a small hole, or a narrow vertical slit, in the right position, prefererably on a conifer trunk.
In winter, Coal Tits are often found in mixed feeding flocks, with fellow tits and other small birds. You often hear them before you see them.
Their natural food is insects and spiders. They take seeds from bird feeders and fly off to cache them in case of need. They have to remember where each seed has been hidden – but sometimes Squirrels watch them and steal the seeds after the tit has flown away. Also, they are known to ‘forget’ their cache, which could be a reason for plants popping up in strange places inthe garden. As they are so small, they can be out-competed at bird feeders, so a tactic is for them to fly in, take a seed and fly out really quickly.
Coal Tits often readily come to take seeds from your hand in cold weather. But you have to stay really still!
This image is copyright © Liz Leyden, all rights reserved.
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My original Coal Tit photo on which this image is based is available for purchase as a stock photo from iStock.
