About the Blue Tit
The Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is smaller than the Great Tit and has a short, pointed bill. Males and females look very similar, both sporting a bright blue crown edged with white, a greenish back and yellow underparts without the Great Tit’s distinctive black belly stripe. Their blue wings are marked with a clear white wing bar.
Young Blue Tits are a little easier to tell apart from the adults, with a greener crown and yellowish cheeks.
With its vivid blue-and-yellow plumage, the Blue Tit is one of the UK’s most colourful and recognisable garden birds. It’s clever too. Blue Tits are quick to discover new food sources and can learn from watching other birds.
You’ll often see their acrobatic side at feeders, where they may hang at seemingly impossible angles or hold food between their feet while pecking away at it. A garden that looks as though it has just a handful of regular Blue Tit visitors may actually be visited by many different individuals over time.
Food for Blue Tits
Spotted Blue Tits in your garden or on your balcony? Offering a varied selection of energy-rich foods can help support them throughout the year.
During winter, sunflower seeds, peanuts and high-energy fat foods are particularly popular. In spring and summer, insects and caterpillars become especially important, providing the protein adults and their growing chicks need during the breeding season.
Sunflower seeds, nutritious fat foods and insect-rich treats are all good choices. Blue Tits readily visit hanging feeders, bird tables and feeding stations, making them one of the most entertaining garden visitors to watch.
Nest boxes for Blue Tits
Blue Tits are cavity nesters and naturally look for holes in trees in which to raise their young. Suitable natural nesting sites can be harder to find in gardens, so they readily take to nest boxes and may return to the same area year after year.
A nest box with an entrance hole of around 28 mm is well suited to Blue Tits.
Position the box in a quiet spot where cats and other predators cannot easily reach it, ideally around two to three metres above the ground. A sheltered position facing roughly east or south-east can help protect the box from strong afternoon sunshine and the worst of the rain.
With the right spot and a little luck, you could soon have a Blue Tit family setting up home in your garden.
Photo gallery
Our nest boxes for blue tits
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Facts
| Scientific name |
Cyanistes caeruleus
|
|---|---|
| Family |
Paridae
|
| Habitat |
Blue Tits live in deciduous and mixed woodland, hedgerows, parks and gardens. They favour places with mature trees and shrubs, where they can search for insects and find natural nesting holes. Blue Tits are widespread throughout most of the UK and can be seen all year round.
|
| Food |
Blue Tits eat insects, caterpillars, spiders and other small invertebrates, with caterpillars especially important when feeding their young. They also eat seeds and nuts. Garden visitors readily take sunflower seeds, peanuts and energy-rich suet foods.
|
| Length |
10,5 - 12cm
|
| Weight |
8 - 10g
|
| Lifespan |
1 - 3 years
|
| Breeding season |
April - June
|
| Nest |
Blue Tits nest in natural holes in trees and readily use nest boxes where suitable cavities are scarce. A small entrance hole of around 25–28 mm is suitable. The female builds a soft nest from moss, grass, hair and feathers.
|
| Song and call |
The Blue Tit has a high, lively song made up of thin whistles followed by rapid trills. Its everyday calls include sharp, high-pitched notes and chattering sounds. Blue Tits are particularly vocal in spring but can be heard calling throughout the year.
|
| Identification |
Blue Tits have a bright blue crown, white cheeks, a dark eye stripe, greenish back and yellow underparts. Their blue wings have a clear white wing bar. Males and females look very similar, while young birds have a greener crown and yellowish cheeks.
|
| Brood |
7–13 white eggs with reddish-brown markings. Usually 1 brood in a season, occasionally 2.
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Our food for blue tits
Videos
Frequently asked questions about blue tits
What is the difference between a blue tit and a great tit?
Blue tits are smaller, with a blue crown and yellow breast. Great tits have a black head, white cheeks and a distinctive black stripe running down the yellow breast.
Which nest box is suitable for a blue tit?
A nest box with an entrance hole of around 25–28 mm is suitable for blue tits. Position it somewhere sheltered and out of prolonged direct sunlight.
What do blue tits eat?
Blue tits mainly eat insects, spiders and caterpillars during spring and summer, switching more towards seeds and nuts in colder months. Sunflower hearts, peanuts and suet are popular garden foods.
How many eggs do blue tits lay?
Blue tits commonly lay around 7–12 eggs, although clutch size varies. Their chicks require huge numbers of caterpillars and other small invertebrates.
Do blue tits stay in the UK during winter?
Yes. Blue tits are resident across most of the UK and can be seen throughout the year, often becoming especially noticeable around garden feeders during winter.