Eurasian Blue Tit

How to recognise it

• Pale blue crown and upperparts, dark blue eye mask and dark blue collar round the head
• White cheeks, pale yellow in young, bordered by black throat patch and blue-black neck ring
• Pale yellow underparts with a black central stripe and a dull greenish back
• Blue wings with white wing bar, male shows more white on forehead and wing bar

Call and song

The territorial song starts with two to three high, even notes, often written "sisi" or "sisisi", followed by a trill at a slightly lower pitch. When birds of prey fly over it gives a very high, long drawn-out "ii" alarm. At feeders it calls "tee, tee, tee" or a scolding "churr".

Where and when

In Sweden the continuous breeding range reaches about 61° north, and up to 65° along the coast, and the range has spread strongly northwards in recent decades. The Swedish population was estimated in 2018 at 774 000 pairs. It is reported from all 21 counties and is reported most from November to February.

Food and behaviour

It prefers insects and spiders, but outside the breeding season it eats more seeds and other plant food. It clings to the outermost branches of trees and often hangs upside down while looking for food. In winter it is seen more often close to people. The flight is bounding and fairly slow. It usually nests in tree holes, and it uses nest boxes too.