Blue Tit

About the Blue Tit

The Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is a small passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. It is easily recognised by its blue and yellow plumage and small size. The Eurasian blue tit is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and parts of western Asia. It inhabits deciduous or mixed woodlands, often with a high proportion of oak, and it is usually non-migratory. They typically nest in tree holes but readily adapt to using nest boxes when necessary. Their main rivals for nests and in the search for food are the larger, somewhat more common great tits (Parus major).

The Eurasian blue tit's diet consists mainly of insects and spiders. Outside of the breeding season, they also eat seeds and other plant-based foods. These birds are known for their acrobatic abilities; they can grip the outermost branches of trees and shrubs and hang upside down while searching for food.

The Eurasian blue tit was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Parus caeruleus. Parus is the classical Latin for a tit and caeruleus is the Latin for dark blue or caerulean. The type locality... Wikipedia →