Great tit
Parus major
Paridae
| Other names | |
|---|---|
| Catalan | Mallerenga carbonera |
| Spanish | Carbonero común |
| English | Great tit |
| French | Mésange charbonnière |
| Basque | Kaskabeltz handi |
| Galician | Ferreriño real |
Description
Small passerine with a short bill. It is the largest of the tits and it is easy to distinguish by the black "tie", more marked in males, on the yellow breast. The head and neck are bluish black with white cheeks and a greenish grey back. The wings are dark with blue margins and a white stripe. The bill is black, and the legs are bluish grey. It is about 14 cm long. It feeds on insects, seeds and fruit. It lives in forests, fruit orchards, as well as in city parks and gardens near wooded areas.
It builds the nest in tree holes, stone walls or nest boxes, with a base of twigs, moss and hair on top. The female lays 8-12 whitish eggs with brown spots, and it incubates them for 13-14 days. She might lay 1-2 clutches per year from mid-April to mid-July. Chicks begin to fly after 3 weeks.
It is frequently found occupying edible dormouse nest boxes from mid-April to the end of June for nesting and breeding. It has also been found sporadically roosting inside the boxes during the winter.