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Coal tit: Periparus ater

The coal tit is a small grey bird with buff underparts, white cheeks, a black cap and white patch to the back of the head. Measuring around 12cm, they are a little smaller than a blue tit, with a slimmer bill that is perfectly suited to feeding in conifer trees. 

The call of the coal tit is thin and reedy with a high-pitched “tsee-tsee-tsee”and a basic song of “teachoo-teachoo” repeated several times.

A regular visitor to gardens, it will take food from feeders and store it away to eat later. Its diet is also made up of insects, spiders, seeds and nuts. Coal tits spend most of their time in coniferous woodland, although they can be spotted in parks and gardens throughout the UK.

Their breeding season starts in April and sees them building nests in tree hollows, constructed from moss, spiders’ webs and wool. The nest interior is then lined with hair and feathers, perfect for the seven to 12 eggs that are laid there. Chicks hatch in a couple of weeks, with fledging two weeks after that.

Coal tits love: Henry Bell Superior Seed Mix, No Grow Mix, No Mess Mix, Blue Tit Blend, Sunflower Hearts, Sunflower Seeds

Coal tit: Periparus ater