Phil Gower Bird Photography

Tit, Long-tailed

Long-tailed tits are true masters of nest-building, creating elastic nests that can actually expand to accommodate their growing chicks. They achieve this by delicately weaving spider webs into the ball of feathers, moss and lichen. A larger nest can contain up to 2000 feathers.

So named for a tail longer than its body, the tiny long-tailed tit is a delightful visitor to any garden. These highly gregarious birds are a visual treat with their black, white and pinkish plumage, red eye rings and small black beaks. They gather in excitable flocks in the winter flitting through the treetops and hedgerows and roosting huddled together along branches.