ES Views: Wild London: Long-tailed tits are bundles of energy

Long-tailed tits are doing well in Britain, with a population increase of almost 80 per cent since the Eighties.
Neil Aldridge
15 December 2017
WEST END FINAL

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Like small, energetic balls of fluff with stiff, straight tail feathers, long-tailed tits are tumbling through the twigs and branches of London’s trees and hedges, looking for insects and spiders to eat.

Their almost spherical bodies are only 5-6cm across, like fuzzy, over-sized ping-pong balls, with pinky white plumage, blackish wings and dark tail feathers that can be twice the length of their bodies. No other British bird has tail feathers so long, proportionate to their size. In contrast, the tiny black bill is almost comically small, but is perfectly adapted for picking fiddly insects from twigs and leaves.

Being small makes long-tailed tits vulnerable, so at this time of year, when food is scarce and there is less cover from predators, they seek safety in numbers. They fly in small flocks of between 5 and 20 birds, keeping in touch with chattering, high-pitched calls.

With a very small body mass, it is hard for each bird to keep warm, so as the evening draws in, the birds fly to the shelter of a suitable shrub, such as a hawthorn, holly or blackthorn.

Here, they huddle together, to help maintain their body temperature overnight. In very cold weather, these huddled flocks can swell to more than 300 tightly packed birds. Others may cram themselves into garden nest boxes, with dozens occupying a single box.

Long-tailed tits are doing well in Britain, with a population increase of almost 80% since the 1980s, most notably in cities such as London. Recent, milder winters have helped, along with the generous provision of garden bird feeders.

They love nibbling on peanuts, as well as suet balls and pellets, and will happily crowd around a well-stocked feeder, bringing a smile to anyone who loves nature in the city.

London Wildlife Trust campaigns to protect the capital’s wildlife and wild spaces. Backed by Sir David Attenborough President Emeritus of The Wildlife Trusts.

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