Alert Status:
Green - 9% increase ↑
Estimated number of UK breeding
territories: 380,000 (updated 2016)
Listen to long-tailed tit song:
Often referred to as fluffy, feathered lollipops, it’s not hard to see why when you look at the long-tailed tit. Both males and females have distinctive colours of black and white, with pink and dusky tones, on their backs, with white undersides. Their slim tails are over half their body length, with black feathers lined by white sides. They have black eye bands which stand in stark contrast to their pretty white crowns and tiny black bills. Juveniles look similar but are missing the dusky pink tones in their plumage.
Average Length: 14-15 cm
Average Lifespan: 2-3 Years
Average Wingspan: 16-19cm
Long-tailed tits mainly feed on insects and invertebrates in large flocks, following each other in single file picking up food. The eggs of moths and butterflies are commonly taken, as are caterpillars. The birds pluck their prey from tree branches and other vegetation. Seeds may be eaten in winter when food is scarce, and they will often visit bird feeders.
How to feed: Bird feeders and tables
What to feed: Peanuts, cheese, suet treats and peanut cakes
Long tailed tits start building their nests rather early, as they can take up to three weeks to complete! The elaborate, almost bottle-shaped nests can be built either high up in the fork of a tree or lower down in thorny shrubbery. Both males and females work together to create an amazing nest. Moss, lichen, and spiders’ webs are woven together. Cleverly, the nest will expand to accommodate growing chicks. They add a feather lining to make the inside cosy – with up to 41% of the nest made from feathers!
8-12 eggs are normally laid from the end of March into April, and long-tailed tits will only have 1 brood. The females will incubate the eggs for 15-18 days, and the chicks fledge after around 16 days in the nest. Interestingly, the long-tailed tit are cooperative breeders, and other birds, deemed ‘helpers’, often feed chicks that are not their own.
Currently, long-tailed tit numbers are increasing and are doing well within the UK and are of least concern globally also. Due to their small size, they can be affected by harsh winters, so if you can provide food, shelter, and water especially during colder months, this may help.
Keep a constant supply of fresh, clean water available year-round.
Planting insect-friendly plants will help to provide natural food sources for long-tailed tits.
Keep feeders stocked up during winter time.
Did you know that the lichen and spider cocoons are used in the building of nests by long-tailed tits to help camouflage their nests? It breaks up the shape of the nest and allows light to reflect off it, concealing the nest within the foliage. A long-tailed tit nest with white plastic fibres woven into the construction was discovered recently, and this also would support this theory of camouflage, as the lighter colours break up the construction of the nest.
BirdLife International (2022) Species factsheet: Aegithalos caudatus. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/06/2022.
Broughton, R., Parry, W. (2019) A Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus nest constructed from plastic fibres supports the theory of concealment by light reflectance. Ringing and migration. 34(2): 120-123.
Hansell, M.H. (1996) The function of lichen flakes and white spider cocoons on the outer surface of birds' nests. Journal of Natural History. 30(2): 303-311.
Hatchwell, B.J., Gullett, P.R., Adams, M.J. (2014) Helping in cooperatively breeding long-tailed tits: a test of Hamilton's rule. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological sciences. 369: 20130565. http://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0565
MacColl, A.D.C., Hatchwell, B.J. (2004) Determinants of lifetime fitness in a cooperative breeder, the long-tailed tit Aegithalos caudatus. Journal of animal ecology. 73(6): 1137-1148.
McGowan, A., Sharp, S.P., Hatchwell, B.J. (2004) The Structure and Function of Nests of Long-Tailed Tits Aegithalos caudatus. Functional Ecology. 18: 578-583.
Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland. BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts, accessed on 28 March 2022)
Stanbury, A.J., Eaton, M.A., Aebischer, N.J., Balmer, D., Brown, A.F., Douse, A., Lindley, P., McCulloch, N., Noble, D.G., Win, I. (2021) The status of our bird populations: the fifth Birds of Conservation Concern in the United Kingdom, Channel Islands and Isle of Man and second IUCN Red List assessment of extinction risk for Great Britain. British Birds. 114
Woodward, I., Aebischer, N., Burnell,D., Eaton, M., Frost, T., Hall, C., Stroud, D. & Noble, D. (2020) Population estimates of birds in Great Britain and the United Kingdom. British Birds. 113: 69–104.
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