Coal tits are one of my favourite birds.
I love their behavior. I love their song and call. And I especially love the way they store food for winter. They’re small, so it’s easy to miss them if you’re not looking for them. But if you know what to look for, you can find these little gems in our gardens, parks, and woodlands all year round.
Coal Tits are a bird that I have grown to love and appreciate over the years. I find them to be one of the most beautiful birds in the UK and they are so fun to photograph. They are also very sociable and friendly, which makes them perfect subjects for amateur photographers.
Coal Tits are a small bird, with an average length of 25cm (10 inches). They have a wingspan of around 35cm (14 inches) and weigh around 200g (7 ounces). Their plumage is black with some white on their wings, tail, throat and face.
The Coal Tit’s diet consists mainly of insects such as beetles, caterpillars and ants. They also like to eat seeds from plant species such as wild lettuce, docks etc., although they will also eat berries such as blackthorn berries if given the opportunity.
Coal Tits breed during spring and summer months, although this can vary depending on climate conditions throughout Europe. In northern latitudes, breeding activity begins in March. Fledglings will remain dependent on their parents for several weeks before becoming independent
They nest in tunnels dug into trees such as willows and ash, usually between 1-2m above ground level and at least one metre below the trunk of the tree they live in. Coal tits usually lay between 3-10 eggs per clutch and both parents incubate their eggs over 28 days before hatching out their fledglings (baby coal tits).
They are very sociable birds and both male and female have different calls which help identify each other when nesting or feeding together: males make a soft chirping sound whereas females make a higher pitched version called a ‘chip’. They also make this call when courting potential mates.
Coal Tits are a common bird found in most parts of the UK. They are small birds with a distinctive black & white cap, white cheeks, and brown-black wings. They can be seen all year round, though they tend to nest in spring.
They are often seen flitting between trees, eating fruit, insects and seeds. They also store food in their nests for later use as they might have to fly long distances from their nests to find food.
They truly are one of the fantastic little birds we have resident here in the UK.
Would you like to learn more about photographing small birds?
How to Photograph Small Birds
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