Great Tit (Parus major)

Great Tit (Parus major (Linnaeus,1758))

Scientific name: Parus major (Linnaeus,1758)
Common name: Great Tit
French name: Mésange charbonnière
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paridae
Size: 14 cm, 16 to 21 g
Habitat: Present in various habitats, forests, woodlands, parks et gardens.
Food: The Great Tit mainly feeds on insects and spiders, and in winter, on seeds and berries. Adults mainly feed chicks with caterpillars.
Nesting: The nests are built in holes in trees. The Great Tit can have two broods per year, of 3 to 18 eggs between April and June.
Migration: Sedentary
Geographic area: All Europe and all Asia.

The Great Tit is the largest Tit. You can identify it by its black head and throat which extends down as a broad black line, broader on males than on females.
The cheeks are white, the other plumage is yellow or greenish-yellow.
You can see it joining flocks with other Tit species.
It regularly comes to the feeding area where it can show an aggressive behaviour against other birds.

Great Tit (Parus major) - Yvelines, France - April 9th 2006

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Great Tits are the most numerous to come to the feeding point (with Blue Tits).
You just need to install perches in the neighbourhood and be very patient.

Great Tit (Parus major) - Yvelines, France - April 20th 2006

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