Tits (Paridae)

Coal Tit

Periparus ater

Length
11.5 cm
Weight
9 g
Clutch
7–9 eggs
Incubation
14–16 days
Fledging
16–19 days
Broods
1–2 per year
Nest box
25 mm hole, low down

Identification

  • Black cap with a white nape patch
  • Two white wing bars
  • Buff underparts, no yellow

High 'teechu-teechu'.

Diet and garden feeding

Insects and conifer seed; caches food in winter.

  • Best foods: Sunflower hearts, Peanut fragments.
  • Coal Tits dash in, grab one seed and fly off to cache it — they are not greedy, just storing.

Nesting

Low hole — often in a bank, stump or box.

Coal Tits by country

Sources

  1. Coal Tit — RSPB bird guide
  2. Coal Tit — BTO BirdFacts

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.