Great Tit
Parus major
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Distribution Britain 2,443 (-0.5%) Ireland 883 (-2.2%)
Numbers breeding: Britain 1,600,000 Ireland 420,000 European status: 42,000,000 (5% in Britain and Ireland =7) British population trend: stable or increasing (+22% CBC){+57%} How likely are you to record it? 3,372 squares (75.1%) Ranked 8 [18] |
About a hundred years ago Great Tits were breeding throughout wooded areas and those with scattered trees throughout Britain and Ireland except for Scotland North of the Great Glen. In subsequent years they spread northwards and colonised Lewis at the same time as Blues. The second Breeding Atlas documents further colonisation of Western Mayo and Connemara which may be correlated with new forestry plantings. These birds may not be quite as vulnerable to cold winter weather as their smaller cousins and their CBC index has gradually increased, in general terms, over the last 35 years — and the five-year BBS went up by 14%. As with other garden feeding species they may well have a better potential winter survival now than earlier this century. However, like the Blue Tit, there is some evidence that global warming may cause changes in spring weather that can de-couple their timing of breeding from the woodland caterpillar cycle. Set fair as a familiar bird throughout the country and in our gardens.
The following Bird On! picture is available:
Great Tit (Watercolour by Robert Gillmor)
The following Bird On! sketch is available:
From
The
State of the Nations Birds
Copyright © 2000 by Chris Mead