Great Tit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Great Tit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Passeriformes
Family:
Paridae
Genus:
Parus
Species:
P. major
Binomial name
Parus major
Linnaeus,
1758
The Great Tit, Parus
major, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread
and common species throughout Europe and Asia in any sort of woodland. It is
resident, and most birds do not migrate.
It is an easy tit to
recognise, large in size at 14 cm, with a broad black line (broader in the
male) down its otherwise yellow front. The neck and head are black with white
cheeks and ear coverts. Upperparts are olive. It has a white wingbar and outer
tail feathers. In young birds the black is replaced by brown, and the white by
yellow.
There are many races of
this widespread species, but they fall into three groups. Birds in temperate
Europe and Asia are essentially green above and yellow below. Great Tits in China,
Japan and southeastern Russia are green above and white or yellow-tinged white
below, and birds in India and southeast Asia are grey above and whitish below.
It is, like other tits, a
vocal bird, and has a large variety of calls, of which the most familiar is a
"teacher, teacher", also likened to a squeaky wheelbarrow wheel. Interestingly,
the birds from the two south Asian groups of races do not recognise the calls
of the temperate Great Tits, and they may be a separate species.
Any hole will do for a
nest, and it will readily take to nest boxes. The number in the clutch is often
very large, but seven or eight white eggs, spotted red, are normal, with bigger
clutches being laid by two or even more hens. The bird is a close sitter,
hissing when disturbed.
Like other tits, its food
is insects, especially caterpillars when feeding young, and seeds. In England,
Great Tits learned to break open the foil caps sealing bottles of milk that had
been delivered to homes to get at the cream floating on top. This is a common
and popular European garden bird, due to its acrobatic performances when feeding
on nuts or seed. It will join winter tit flocks with other species.
References
- BirdLife International (2004). Parus
major. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006.
Retrieved on 05 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why
this species is of least concern
- Tits, Nuthatches and Treecreepers, Harrap and Quinn, ISBN
0-7136-3964-4
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Tit&action=history
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Parus major |
The Great Tit, Parus
major, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread
and common species throughout Europe and Asia in any sort of woodland. It is
resident, and most birds do not migrate.
It is an easy tit to
recognise, large in size at 14 cm, with a broad black line (broader in the
male) down its otherwise yellow front. The neck and head are black with white
cheeks and ear coverts. Upperparts are olive. It has a white wingbar and outer
tail feathers. In young birds the black is replaced by brown, and the white by
yellow.
There are many races of
this widespread species, but they fall into three groups. Birds in temperate
Europe and Asia are essentially green above and yellow below. Great Tits in China,
Japan and southeastern Russia are green above and white or yellow-tinged white
below, and birds in India and southeast Asia are grey above and whitish below.
It is, like other tits, a
vocal bird, and has a large variety of calls, of which the most familiar is a
"teacher, teacher", also likened to a squeaky wheelbarrow wheel. Interestingly,
the birds from the two south Asian groups of races do not recognise the calls
of the temperate Great Tits, and they may be a separate species.
Any hole will do for a
nest, and it will readily take to nest boxes. The number in the clutch is often
very large, but seven or eight white eggs, spotted red, are normal, with bigger
clutches being laid by two or even more hens. The bird is a close sitter,
hissing when disturbed.
Like other tits, its food
is insects, especially caterpillars when feeding young, and seeds. In England,
Great Tits learned to break open the foil caps sealing bottles of milk that had
been delivered to homes to get at the cream floating on top. This is a common
and popular European garden bird, due to its acrobatic performances when feeding
on nuts or seed. It will join winter tit flocks with other species.
References
- BirdLife International (2004). Parus
major. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006.
Retrieved on 05 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why
this species is of least concern
- Tits, Nuthatches and Treecreepers, Harrap and Quinn, ISBN
0-7136-3964-4