Willow Tit

The Willow Tit is a small, subtly marked tit closely resembling the Marsh Tit, with a matte (rather than glossy) black cap, a slightly larger and more diffuse black bib, and often a pale panel visible on the closed wing. It favors damper habitats than the Marsh Tit, particularly willow and birch scrub, wet woodland, and boggy thickets, and is notable among European tits for excavating its own nest cavity in soft, rotten wood.

Because the two species are so visually similar, the Willow Tit went unrecognized as a distinct species in Britain until the early 1900s, and voice remains the most dependable way to separate the two in the field.

Key field marks

• Matte, sooty black cap (not glossy)
• Larger, more diffuse black bib than Marsh Tit
• Often shows a pale panel on the closed wing
• Slightly bull-necked appearance

Similar species

• Marsh Tit has a glossy black cap, a smaller neater bib, and lacks the pale wing panel; the two are best separated by voice.
• Coal Tit has a white nape patch, absent in the Willow Tit.

Habitat

Favors damp woodland, birch and willow scrub, boggy thickets, and wet coniferous or mixed forest, generally wetter habitat than the Marsh Tit.

Range

Widespread across northern and central Europe and Asia, though declining sharply in parts of Britain and western Europe.

Migration

Largely resident and sedentary, remaining on territory year-round.

Behavior

Forages through low branches and scrub, often in pairs holding a permanent territory; unlike most tits, it excavates its own nest hole in soft, rotten wood rather than using an existing cavity.

Voice

A nasal, buzzy "tchay-tchay-tchay" or harsh "zi-zi-churr" call distinguishes it from the sharper "pitchoo" of the Marsh Tit; song is a series of slow, plaintive, piping notes.

Feeding

Eats insects and spiders during the breeding season, switching to seeds in autumn and winter.

Nesting

Excavates its own nest cavity in soft, rotten wood, often in a dead willow or birch stump close to the ground; lays 6-9 white eggs with fine red-brown speckling.