Long tail tit (juvenile) (Aegithalos caudatus)

            At such a small size it is vital that long-tailed tits are well adapted to keep out the cold. Their fluffy pink, black and white plumage holds in a layer of air, their appearance has been likened to a ball of cotton wool and this has given rise to the names ‘Muffin’ and ‘Mumruffin’.

Even with such good insulation birds are susceptible to the cold, roughly a half of all adults die each year and the death-rate is even higher for youngsters. On winter nights long-tailed tits gather together, often roosting in the cavities of trees to share warmth. During daylight hours in winter birds must feed continually, their gregarious nature is revealed as they feed in flocks roving through woodlands and hedgerows chattering to each other in a high-pitched voice as they go, hence the name ‘Chittering’.

As a group they find more productive spots for food and share the information by calling enthusiastically to each other but they rarely stay in one spot for very long. Often the young of previous years will help their parents to raise the next generation, probably learning a thing or two in the process.

One skill they must pick up is how to build the beautiful bottle-shaped nest, which is the motivation for the final common name, ‘Jack-in-a-Bottle’.

During March this intricate construction is made by felting together the webs of spiders, along with the cocoons of wasps and bees, and lichen collected painstakingly from trees. Up to fifteen eggs are laid and the parent squeezes into the space to incubate, often emerging with a bent tail as a result. The walls of the nest are flexible but strong and extremely well camouflaged.

If successful the parents will raise between 8 and 12 youngsters which will fledge during May.

Taken on: June 28, 2018

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