Coal tits are becoming more common visitors to gardens once they discover a reliable source of food from feeder. Like their cousins blue and great tis, they're perching birds and quickly adapt to hanging bird feeders.
What does a Coal Tit look like?
Length: 11cm
Together, with the Blue Tit, the Coal Tit is one of the smallest tits of Europe. It is the only black-crowned tit with a large white patch on the nape. The Coal Tit has silky white cheeks and black bib and upper breast. The upper parts of of olive-grey with a narrow whit double wing bar. The under parts are off-white with buff flanks, the bill is black and the legs are a blue-grey.
The young Coal Tits have yellowish nape, cheeks and under parts.
What does a female coal tit look like?
Male and female coal tits are incredibly similar in size and appearance. The only way to really differentiate between the two is that males have an extra white stripe on the back of their heads. In addition, it is possible to identify juvenile coal tits via the distinctive yellow hue on their cheeks and napes.
What do coaltits sound like?
Similar to the Great Tit’s, although the Coal Tit’s wide range of calls are higher pitched. Their song resembles the so called saw-sharpening song of the Great Tit.
When and where do coal tits nest?
Breeding starts around late April. They will make their nests in holes in trees, walls or banks and occasionally the ground. The nest is a cup of moss lined with feathers and hair. They lay seven to nine smooth white eggs with fine speckles of a reddish-brown. The female alone incubates for fourteen to eighteen days. Both parents tend to the young.
Coal tit habitat
The Coal Tits live in coniferous and deciduous woodlands. They also like town parks and gardens.
How long do coal tits live for?
Coal tits usually live for around two years. However, one known coal tit managed to reach the age of nine years and eight months.
How can you tell the difference between a great tit and a coal tit?
The first difference between these two birds is their size. The great tit is larger than the coal tit and is actually the largest of the common tit species. Secondly, these two birds have different coloured plumages. The great tit has a more distinctive plumage of yellow, green and black, whereas the coal tit has a duller, grey plumage.
What do coal tits eat in the wild?
Coal tits primarily feed on insects such as caterpillars, aphids, beetles, and spiders, especially during spring and summer. In autumn and winter, they rely more on seeds from conifers like pine and spruce, as well as other seeds and nuts. They may also eat tree buds in early spring and occasionally consume fungi or lichen. Coal tits are known for caching food, storing seeds in hidden spots to retrieve later in colder months.
What to feed coal tits in the garden?
Where to feed
Feeders – Ideally above 1m in height
Table – Not suitable
Ground – Not suitable
How to attract coal tits to your garden
To attract coal tits to your UK garden, provide a variety of high-energy foods such as sunflower seeds, peanuts, suet, and mealworms. Planting native trees and shrubs like pine, spruce, birch, and rowan creates natural foraging opportunities, while avoiding pesticides ensures a healthy insect population for them to feed on. Providing dense shrubs, hedges, or coniferous trees offers shelter, and installing nest boxes with small entrance holes (around 28 mm) can encourage them to breed in your garden. A birdbath or shallow dish with clean water is essential for drinking and bathing. Lastly, maintaining a quiet, undisturbed area will help these shy birds feel secure, increasing the chances of them becoming regular visitors.
