Russian entrepreneur and philanthropist known as a concessionaire. Russian patrons of the late 19th - early 20th centuries

Great tit(lat. Parus major) is the largest and most numerous of all species of the tit family found in Russia.

Description

A lively, active bird, the largest of our tits; body length 140 mm, wing - 72-77 mm, tail about 65-67 mm, metatarsus about 20-23 mm. In adult birds, the upper side of the head (“cap”), throat, sides of the neck, and crop are shiny black with a blue metallic tint; the frenulum, cheeks and ear coverts are pure white, on the back of the neck there is a whitish-yellow spot; the back is yellowish-green, turning into bluish-gray on the loin and rump; wing coverts of the same grayish color; the whitish tips of the greater wing coverts form a whitish stripe across the wing; the flight feathers are dark brown with white tips of the outer webs of the primary flight feathers (except the first and second) and with a whitish border at the base of the inner webs of the same feathers; the main halves of the outer primaries are greyish; secondary flight feathers with wide light edges of outer webs; the middle tail ones are bluish-gray, the rest are blackish with bluish-gray edges of the outer webs; on the outer pair the outer web is white, on the inner there is a white apical spot; a small white or whitish spot is present on the top of the second pair of tail feathers from the edge; the underparts are yellow, with a matte black spot on the chest and belly, with whitish underwings, the undertail is also whitish, with an admixture of blackish-brown streaks. The legs are dark gray, the beak is black, the iris is dark brown.

The female is similar to the male, but the black stripe on the belly is narrower and the yellow color is less bright. Juveniles have a dark grayish-brown head and throat, yellowish cheeks, grayish sides, and a general dull color tone.

It differs from other tits in its large size.

Voice and singing

Great tit. Rtishchevo city center

The voice is a ringing “pin-pin-charzhzhzh”. The song is loud whistles “tsi-pi-tsi-pi-tsi-pi-in-cha-in-cha.” The singing of the great tit can be heard at any time of the year, except late autumn and the beginning of winter. The possible period of singing covers more than 9 months. Spring singing begins already in early January, sometimes even at the end of December. As a rule, the birds that winter near human habitation begin to sing first. Intense singing begins in March and continues until the second half of May. In the second half of June - early July there is new rise singing activity associated with the second reproductive cycle. Autumn singing begins in August, intensifies in mid-September and stops in the first ten days of October. The song of the great tit is subject to strong individual variability. By ear it is possible to distinguish up to 40 of its variants. One bird can alternately use 3-5 options that differ in rhythm, relative pitch of sounds, timbre and number of syllables. Most often there are two- and three-syllable songs. In the great tit, not only males can sing, but also females, who more often produce a song while feeding chicks and leading the brood.

In addition to demonstrative singing, the great tit is also characterized by a “sub-song” that has a very unique sound. In some ways it resembles a “purr.” The sub-song is most often heard in February and March, but it has also been observed in January, April, June and September. The sub-song is quite euphonious and is a mixture of quiet chirping and mutely sung syllables of a demonstrative song. In this case, the birds (in the observed cases these were males) sit in the treetops, often in motionless positions. The duration of the sub-song is from 0.5 to 10 minutes. Group performance of the subsong is also observed, when 3-4 males sit on adjacent branches and sing at the same time. Borrowed sounds are sometimes included in the sub-song: for example, fragments of the song of the yellow-headed kinglet and the gurgling sounds of the puffball. For some tits, vocal imitation is a common occurrence. Individuals that have learned to copy a signal constantly retain it in their repertoire. Typically (but not always), great tits use borrowed calls in the presence of the species they are mimicking.

The great tit, imitating the specific calling cry of other bird species, never uses it to express demonstrative alarm. To do this, she uses only her visual signal.

Spreading

Area

It lives in Europe, Asia and North-West Africa.

Habitats

During nesting time, the great tit inhabits mainly deciduous and mixed stands. Most often it settles along rivers, lakes, and near forest edges. In dense forests it is very rare. The favorite habitats of these tits are gardens and parks, holiday villages and green areas. small towns. It nests even in the centers of large cities. The highest density of nesting great tits (up to 30-40 pairs per 1 km²) is observed in old parks and forests adjacent to populated areas. In mixed forests, their population density is only about 3.5 pairs per 1 km². However, after hanging artificial nests, it usually increases noticeably.

Lifestyle

Great tits. Rtishchevo

During nesting time, the great tit lives in pairs, the rest of the time in flocks, often together with other tits. The territorial behavior of great tits is characterized by the absence of strict sedentarism and the ability to change habitats, and, if necessary, undertake migrations in search of feeding places. In the presence of a rich food source, a concentration of individuals occurs. In winter, most tits leave forest areas and accumulate in populated areas. In particular, great tits fly to the city of Rtishchevo for the winter. Leaving the forest for the winter to human habitation, often tens of kilometers away, takes on the character of seasonal migrations. For many young birds, movements of hundreds of kilometers are typical. These are essentially true seasonal migrations.

Territoriality in great tits is expressed only during the reproductive period. Young birds that leave their nests lose contact with the nesting area, and upon achieving independence, in most cases they leave the area of ​​their birth. In their place later appear young tits born in other places.

Migrations

There are usually three periods of high migratory activity of great tits: summer, autumn and spring. Summer movements begin in late June - early July and end in the first half of August. The contingent of summer migrants consists of settling young birds of the year. Autumn migration is observed from the second half of August to the first ten days of November with a peak at the end of September - beginning of October. The number of migrants fluctuates quite significantly from year to year. Spring migration, as a rule, is somewhat less pronounced than autumn migration. It begins in the second half - end of February and continues until the beginning of May. The timing of migration is highly dependent on weather conditions. Usually there are two peaks of spring migration: in February - early March and at the end of March - the first half of April. In the initial period, there are many adults among migrating birds. Later, mostly young birds fly. In general, young males predominate during spring migration.

Reproduction

Nest with a clutch of great tit eggs

When choosing a place for a nest, the great tit is very flexible. She prefers to nest in natural or woodpecker hollows, as well as in artificial nests, occasionally settling in old magpie nests, and sometimes even making open nests, which happens, however, very rarely. Near human habitation, the great tit can build nests in the most unexpected places. There are known cases of these birds nesting in cast iron railings, in water pump pipes, in street lighting poles, in hollow metal pipes of fences, in mailboxes, behind the cladding of building walls, etc.

Construction of nests begins in mid-April. Only the female builds the nest. Birds spend 3-15 days building it, most often 5-7 days. In cold, rainy weather, construction is delayed. The amount of material brought varies significantly depending on the size of the shelter. When settling in spacious artificial duck nests, the great tit drags a very large amount of moss to the bottom, trying to fill it completely, and arranges the tray in the center or side of this pile of moss and lichen and is lined with soft plant fluff, shreds of wool and feathers. In forests, its nests are more uniform and consist of moss and wool, often mixed with feathers and spider cocoons. In urban conditions, nest materials often contain wool, cotton wool, threads, blades of grass, and feathers.

In many cases, the female begins laying when the nest is unfinished. Sometimes several days pass between the completion of construction and the appearance of the first egg. Almost always, during egg laying, the female continues to bring eggs to the nest. construction material. She brings it even in the first days of incubation. Most researchers agree that the female specifically covers the clutch in order to reduce the risk of detection by a predator, to protect the eggs from hypothermia, or to eliminate the possibility of premature incubation while the female spends the night in a hollow. The female brings the most valuable nesting material (down, underfur, spider cocoons) the latest and at a time when her visits to the nest become more frequent. This can reduce the risk of other birds stealing particularly valuable material. When spending the night in the nest, the female always opens the clutch in the evening and warms the eggs for some time.

The egg laying period lasts approximately 3 months. The first eggs appear in late April - early May. Some great tits have two clutches per summer. The number of second clutches varies from year to year. They tend to be more numerous in years with early spring. The second breeding cycle will be extended much more. In complete clutches of great tits, from 5 to 14 eggs were found, but most often there are 8-12. The second clutch is usually smaller than the first by about 2 eggs. The eggs are white with reddish speckles, measuring 14.4-20.1 × 11.3-14.8 mm. The female incubates the clutch. The male feeds her regularly. Most often, the incubation period is 13-14 days. Its duration depends on the behavior of the female and the timing of reproduction. The female begins to incubate the first clutches regularly from the penultimate egg or even a day (or two) after the completion of the clutch. At later stages of reproduction, regular incubation usually begins before the clutch is complete.

Normal flight of chicks usually occurs on the 19th-21st day, but if frightened, chicks are able to jump out even at the age of 15 days. The mass flight of chicks of the first hatch occurs in the second ten days of June, the second - from the end of July to the second ten days of August. In the first broods, an average of 7.7 fledglings fly out of the nests, in the second - 4.8 fledglings. Nesting success with the first clutches is usually higher than with the second. But the opposite picture can also be observed.

After the chicks leave the nest, they stay in a flock near the places where they hatched, and the parents continue to feed them for one or two weeks. If the female begins a second clutch, the first brood is led by the male. The chicks are fed by both parents, mainly by butterfly caterpillars. Spiders, pupae and adults of butterflies, and sawfly larvae also play a significant role. Great tits often feed their young chicks by squeezing the contents of spiders down their throats. As mineral food, parents give the chicks soil, egg shells, and shells of terrestrial mollusks. In the first days, parents make about 500 flights with food to the nest, and before the departure of the young, this number increases to 800.

Nutrition

In the diet of adult birds summer period Along with spiders and Lepidoptera, a significant role is played by Coleoptera, mainly weevils, as well as Homoptera, Diptera and Hemiptera. In autumn and winter, seeds and various human food waste predominate. From plant food, tits use fruits and seeds of the following plants: pine, spruce, linden, maple, birch, lilac, horse sorrel, burdock, pickles, red elderberry, rowan, serviceberry, blueberry, sunflower, hemp, rye, wheat, oats. In addition, they willingly feed on the corpses of dead animals, using the remains of the prey of predators. Individuals joining mixed tit flocks feed in part from stores made by plumes, chickadees, tufted tits and nuthatches. Tits crush their food, holding it in their paws. In winter, the great tit is one of the most frequent visitors to feeders.

Limiting factors and status

The main reasons for the death of nests: destruction by humans and domestic animals, great spotted woodpecker, squirrel, whirligig, small mustelids. Some tit nests are abandoned due to ants settling in the hollow. Second broods often die from excessive reproduction of fleas in a nest, especially if the birds breed a second time in the same nest.

Literature

• Boehme R. L., Kuznetsov A. A. Birds of forests and mountains of the USSR: Field guide. Manual for teachers. - 2nd ed. - M.: Education, 1981. - P. 165
• Dementiev G. P. Passerines (Complete guide to birds of the USSR by S. A. Buturlina and G. P. Dementieva). - T. 4. - M., L.: KOIZ, 1937. - P. 165
• Malchevsky A. S., Pukinsky Yu. B. Birds Leningrad region And adjacent territories. - L.: From Leningrad University, 1983. - P. 460-464
• Felix I. Birds of gardens, parks and fields. - Prague: Artia, 1980. - P. 58
• Flint V. E. et al. Birds European Russia. Field guide. - M.: Russian Bird Conservation Union; Algorithm, 2001. - P. 192
• Flint V. E., Boehme R. L., Kostin Yu. V., Kuznetsov A. A. Birds of the USSR. - M.: Mysl, 1968. - P. 518-519

I think everyone knows what the Great Tit or Bolshak looks like, the Latin name is Parus major. Along with the dove, sparrow, jackdaw and crow, tits are the most common feathered inhabitants of cities and other populated areas. This is the largest bird of the tit family, it belongs to the order Passeriformes, the genus Tit and forms a separate species.

Habitats of the Great Tit

This is a sedentary bird, only in very coldy When there is an acute shortage of food, it can change its habitat. Typically, migration involves moving closer to human habitation. Widely distributed throughout Europe with the exception of the far north and Iceland, found in North Africa and the Middle East. IN South-East Asia lives in Japan and throughout Indochina up to the island of Java and the island of Borneo. You will not find a great tit in the north of Siberia, among the dense coniferous forests and in the highlands. The great tit is not afraid of people, actively inhabits city squares and parks, happily flies to feeders and even pecks food from a human hand.

Appearance of Great Tit

This is the largest bird of all tits found in Russia. A little larger and much larger or Gaichki. Its length is from 13 to 17 centimeters, its weight is about 20 grams, its wingspan is 22–26 centimeters, and its tail is long. In other words, the Great Tit is the size of a sparrow, but it is impossible to confuse them due to the bright plumage of tits.

The Great Tit has a bright yellow or lemon belly with a black longitudinal stripe in the middle called a tie. The tie on the abdomen in males widens towards the bottom, and in females it narrows. This is one of the few differences between males and females of the Great Tit; in addition, the females have a more faded color. On the head there is a blue-black cap with a metallic tint, and on the back of the head there is a yellowish-white spot. The cheeks are white, there is a black ring around the neck. The throat and chest are black with a slight bluish tint. The back is yellowish-green, fading to bluish-gray on the loin and rump, with a faint olive tint on the shoulders. The wings and tail are bluish; a thin line can be seen on the wings. white stripe. The tail is long.

Songs of the Great Tit

Great tits are songbirds. Males that conquer a mate sing more variedly than females and do this almost all year, except for the winter months. There are about 40 different sounds made by tits. Particularly prominent are the sonorous ones: “qi-qi-qi-pi”, “in-chi-in-chi”, the cry - “pin-pin-chrrrrzh”. In spring the song is more monotonous: “zin-zi-ver”, “zin-zin”. Great tits sing especially intensely during the breeding season: from March to the second half of May and from the second half of June to the end of July. Autumn singing begins in August, intensifies in mid-September and stops in the first ten days of October. In addition to the actual singing, tits perform the so-called sub-song - a melodic quiet chirping, “purring”, sounding most often in February or March.

Lifestyle

The great tit prefers deciduous and mixed forests. Lives in open areas along rivers and along the shores of lakes, on the edges and in open forests. In Siberia it does not settle further than 10-15 kilometers from human habitation. It prefers to feed on tree branches and bushes and is reluctant to descend to the ground. In winter, tits move en masse closer to humans.

In cities, parks, squares and gardens are perfect for her. The destruction by humans of large tracts of forest and the increase in open forests has led to an increase in the number of these birds.

Typically, Great Tits live in flocks, breaking up into pairs only for the period of nesting and breeding. These are, as a rule, monogamous birds; cases of polygamy are rare. Pairs last for several years

The nesting period of the Great Tit depends on the area where it lives. In the south of Russia, males begin their courtship at the end of February, and in the center of the country about two weeks later. The breeding season lasts until the end of September. During the period of pair formation and nesting, males become aggressive towards competitors.

Great tits build their nests in tree hollows at a height of 2-5 meters from the ground. They can also invade other people's nests if there is not enough space in the trees; they use any shelter, titmice, birdhouses, mouse holes and cracks in rocks. Near human habitation, the great tit can build nests in the most unexpected places. Nests of these birds have been found in drainpipes, in street light poles, in hollow metal pipes of fences, in mailboxes, behind the siding of building walls, and even in the barrel of a gun, most importantly in an enclosed space. Cases when Great Tits equip open nests are extremely rare.

The construction of the nest is carried out by females; males do not participate in the process. The size of the nest depends on the place where it was built, but its internal structure is always the same. Inside the recess, the female makes a small tray, 5-6 cm in circumference. Its depth can be 4-5 cm. The tray is lined with small twigs, leaves, moss, cobwebs, fluff and animal hair.

Reproduction of the Great Tit

Great tits usually lay two clutches: at the end of April and in mid-summer. In the first clutch there are up to 15 white, slightly shiny eggs, but more often 8 - 12. The entire surface of the eggs is covered with reddish-brown spots and specks, forming a corolla on the blunt side. The second clutch is usually 2 fewer eggs. The tit incubates eggs for 12-14 days. During this time, the male provides food for the female. The tit flies from the nest only when danger approaches. For the first two or three days, the hatched chicks are covered with grayish down, so the female does not leave the nest, warming them with her warmth. The male at this time acts as the breadwinner. When the chicks begin to become feathered, the pair feeds the offspring, bringing an average of 6-7 g of food per chick per day to the nest.

The chicks fly from the nest approximately on the 22nd day after birth. After leaving, they stay in a flock near the nest, and their parents continue to feed them for one or two weeks. If the female begins a second clutch, the first brood is led by the male.

In summer, Great Tits feed mainly on insects; midges, flies, mosquitoes, spiders, caterpillars, and crickets are their food. The chicks are fed the most high-calorie insects, namely caterpillars. With the onset of winter cold, tits switch to plant foods. They feed mainly on seeds and cereals. These birds do not store for the winter and if they find food hidden by other bird species, they eat it with pleasure. Tits do not disdain carrion.

Tits (Parus) are a fairly numerous genus of birds belonging to the Tit family and the order Passeriformes. A common representative of the genus is the great tit (Parus major), which has become quite widespread in many regions of Russia.

Description of tit

The word "tit" is derived from the name " Blue colour“, therefore, the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus), which previously belonged to the genus of tits, is directly related to the color of the bird. Many species previously classified as true tits have now been transferred to the category of other genera: Sittiparus, Machlolophus, Periarus, Melaniparus, Pseudopodoces, chickadees (Poecile) and blue tits (Cyanistes).

Appearance

The Tit family includes subspecies: long-tailed and thick-billed tits. In the world today there are more than a hundred known and fairly well-studied species of birds classified as this genus, but only those birds that are included in the tit family are now considered to be real tits. Representatives of the Gray Tit species are characterized by a wide black stripe along the abdomen, as well as the absence of a crest. The main species differences are the gray color of the back, black cap, spots white on the cheeks and light chest. The belly is white, with a central black stripe.

This is interesting! Uppertail ash color, and the tail feathers are blackish. The undertail is also black in the central part and characteristic white on the sides.

The great tit is an active, rather fidgety bird, with a body length of 13-17 cm, an average weight of 14-21 g and a wingspan of no more than 22-26 cm. The species is distinguished by a black neck and head, and also has striking eyes white cheeks, olive-colored top and yellowish bottom. The numerous subspecies of this species are distinguished by some very noticeable variations in plumage color.

Character and lifestyle

It is incredibly difficult for a mischievous tit to hide or stay in the same place for a long time. Such a bird is accustomed to constant movement, but is an absolutely unpretentious feathered creature in terms of its habitat. Among other things, tits have no rivals in agility, mobility and curiosity, and thanks to tenacious and very strong legs, such a small bird is capable of performing many tricks, including all kinds of somersaults.

Thanks to their well-developed legs, tits survive even in unfavorable conditions, being on long distance from his nest. Attaching its claws to the surface of the branch, the bird quickly falls asleep, becoming similar to its own appearance, into a small and very fluffy lump. It is this feature that saves her during too much winter cold. The lifestyle of all tits is predominantly sedentary, but some species, according to the observations of experts, tend to periodically wander.

However, each species of tit has its own characteristics, the most characteristic features, and the qualities that unite all representatives of the genus are beautiful and memorable plumage, incredibly mischievous behavior and simply captivating with its harmony, loud singing.

The process of molting in birds of this species is natural conditions occurs only once every twelve months.

This is interesting! Gray tits are usually observed in pairs, but sometimes such birds unite in small intraspecific groups or with other species of birds. So-called mixed flocks search for food more productively during the hungry season.

By their nature, absolutely all types of tits belong to the category of nature’s true orderlies. Adults actively destroy great amount many harmful insects, thus saving green spaces from death. For example, one family of tits needs to clear more than four dozen trees of pests to feed their newly born offspring. To communicate with each other, titmouse birds use a special “squeaky” chirp, vaguely reminiscent of the loud and melodic sounds of “blue-blue-blue”.

How long do tits live?

The life of a titmouse in natural conditions is very short and, as a rule, is only three years. When kept in captivity, the Great Tit can live even up to fifteen years. However, the overall lifespan of such an unusual feathered pet directly depends on many factors, including compliance with the maintenance regime and feeding rules.

Sexual dimorphism

Female gray tits have a narrower, duller stripe on their abdomen.. Female great tits are very similar in appearance to males, but in general, they have a slightly duller color of plumage, so the black tones in the head and chest area have a dark gray tint, and the collar and black stripe on the belly are somewhat thinner and may be interrupted .

Types of tits

According to data provided by the International Union of Ornithologists, the genus Parus includes four species:

• Gray tit (Parus cinereus) – a species that includes several subspecies, which some time ago belonged to the species Great Tit (Parus major);
• Bolshak, or Great tit (Parus major) – the largest and most numerous species;
• Eastern, or Japanese tit (Parus minor) – a species represented by several subspecies at once, which are not distinguished by mixing or frequent hybridization;
• Green-backed tit (Parus monticolus).

Until recently, the species Eastern or Japanese tit was classified as a subspecies of the great tit, but thanks to the efforts of Russian researchers, it was possible to establish that these two species simply coexist quite successfully.

Range, habitats

The gray tit is represented by thirteen subspecies:

• R.c. ambiguus – inhabitant of the Malacca Peninsula and the island of Sumatra;
• P.c. caschmirensis with a gray spot on the back of the head - inhabitant of northeastern Afghanistan, northern Pakistan and northwestern India;
• P.c. cinereus Vieillot is the nominate subspecies, found on the island of Java and the Sunda Lesser Islands;
• P.c. desolorans Koelz - inhabitant of northeastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan;
• P.c. hainanus E.J.O. Hartert – inhabitant of Hainan Island;
• P.c. intermedius Zarudny – inhabitant of the north-east of Iran and north-west of Turkmenistan;
• P.c. mahrattarum E.J.O. Hartert is an inhabitant of the north-west of India and the island of Sri Lanka;
• P.c. planorum E.J.O. Hartert is an inhabitant of northern India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, central and western Myanmar;
• P.c. sаrаwacensis Slаter – inhabitant of the island of Kalimantan;
• P.c. sturae Koelz - inhabitant of the west, central and northeast of India;
• P.c. templorum Meyer de Schauensee - inhabitant of the central part and west of Thailand, southern Indochina;
• P.c. vauriеi Ripley – inhabitant of northeast India;
• P.c. Ziaratensis Whistler is an inhabitant of the central and southern parts of Afghanistan and western Pakistan.

The great tit is an inhabitant of the entire territory of the Middle East and Europe, found in North and Central Asia, and inhabits some areas of North Africa. Fifteen subspecies of the great tit have slightly different habitats:

• P.m. raphrodite - inhabitant of southern Italy, southern Greece, the islands of the Aegean Sea and Cyprus;
• P.m. blanfordi - inhabitant of the north of Iraq, the north, north central part and southwestern part of Iran;
• P.m. bokharensis - inhabitant of the territory of Turkmenistan, northern Afghanistan, south-central Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan;
• P.m. corsus – inhabitant of the territory of Portugal, southern Spain and Corsica;
• P.m. eski – inhabitant of the territories of Sardinia;
• P.m. excesus - inhabitant of northwestern Africa, from the territory of western Morocco to the northwestern part of Tunisia;
• P.m. ferghanensis - inhabitant of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and western China;
• P.m. karustini - inhabitant of the southeast of Kazakhstan or the Dzungarian Alatau, the extreme northwestern part of China and Mongolia, Transbaikalia, the territories of the upper reaches of the Amur and Primorye, the northern part to coastline Sea of ​​Okhotsk;
• P.m. karelini – inhabitant of the south-east of Azerbaijan and north-west of Iran;
• P.m. major is a typical inhabitant of continental Europe, the north and east of the central part, and the northern part of Spain, the Balkans and northern Italy, Siberia to the east up to Baikal, towards the south to Altai mountains, eastern and northern Kazakhstan, found in Asia Minor, the Caucasus and Azerbaijan, with the exception of the southeastern part;
• P.m. mallorcae – inhabitant of the territory of the Balearic Islands;
• P.m. newtoni – inhabitant of the British Isles, the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as the northwestern part of France;
• P.m. niethammeri – inhabitant of the territories of Crete;
• P.m. terraesanctae - inhabitant of Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan and the northeastern part of Egypt;
• P.m. turkestaniсus is an inhabitant of the southeastern part of Kazakhstan and the southwestern territories of Mongolia.

In conditions wildlife Representatives of the species are found in various forest zones, most often in the most open areas and on the edges, and also settle along the banks of natural reservoirs.

The eastern or Japanese tit is represented by nine subspecies:

• P.m. amamiensis – inhabitant of the northern Ryukyu Islands;
• P.m. сommixtus – inhabitant of southern China and northern Vietnam;
• P.m. dageletensis – inhabitant of Ulleungdo Island near Korea;
• P.m. kagoshimae - inhabitant of the south of Kyushu and the Goto Islands;
• P.m. minоr is an inhabitant of eastern Siberia, southern Sakhalin, eastern central and northeastern China, Korea and Japan;
• P.m. nigriloris – inhabitant of the south of the Ryukyu Islands;
• P.m. nubiсolus – inhabitant of eastern Myanmar, northern Thailand and northwestern Indochina;
• P.m. okinawae – inhabitant of the center of the Ryukyu Islands;
• P.m. tibetanus is an inhabitant of the southeast of Tibet, southwest and south-central China, and northern Myanmar.

The green-backed tit has become widespread in Bangladesh and Bhutan, China and India, and also inhabits Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam. The natural habitats of this species are boreal forests and forest zones in temperate latitudes, subtropics and tropical lowland moist forests.

Tit diet

During the period of active breeding, tits feed on small invertebrates, as well as their larvae. Feathered orderlies destroy a huge number of different forest pests. However, the basis of the food ration of any tit during this period is most often represented by:

• butterfly caterpillars;
• spiders;
• weevils and other bugs;
• dipterous insects, including flies, mosquitoes and midges;
• hemipteran living creatures, including bedbugs.

Tits also eat cockroaches, orthoptera in the form of grasshoppers and crickets, small dragonflies, lacewings, earwigs, ants, ticks and centipedes. An adult bird is quite capable of feasting on bees, from which the sting is first removed. With the onset of spring, tits can hunt prey such as dwarf pipistrelles, which, after emerging from hibernation, remain inactive and quite accessible to birds. The chicks are fed, as a rule, by the caterpillars of various butterflies, the body length of which is no more than 10 mm.

In autumn and winter, the role of various plant foods, including hazel and European beech seeds, noticeably increases in the tit's diet. Birds in fields and cultivated areas feed on waste grain of corn, rye, oats and wheat.

Birds living in the northwestern territories of Russia often feed on the fruits and seeds of some of the most common plants:

• spruce and pine;
• maple and linden;
• lilac;
• birch;
• horse sorrel;
• pikulniks;
• burdock;
• red elderberry;
• serviceberry;
• rowan;
• blueberries;
• hemp and sunflower.

The main difference between the great tit and other species of this genus, including the blue tit and the coal tit, is the lack of its own reserves for the winter. Such a dexterous and very active bird is capable of very skillfully finding food that was collected and hidden in the fall by other birds. According to experts, sometimes representatives of the Great Tit species can eat various carrion.

To feed themselves, tits often visit bird feeders in cities and parks, where they feed on sunflower seeds, food scraps and bread crumbs, as well as butter and pieces of unsalted lard. Food is also obtained in the crowns of trees, usually on lower tiers plants and in the foliage of undergrowth or shrubs.

This is interesting! It is the great tit that among all passerines has the most big list objects for hunting, and by killing redpoll, common bunting, pied flycatcher, yellow-headed kinglet or bat, the feathered predator easily pecks out their brains.

Fruits with too hard shells, including nuts, are first broken with the beak. Great tits are inherently predatory. Representatives of this species are well known as regular and typical scavengers, feeding on the carcasses of various ungulate mammals.

The great tit has perfectly adapted to the landscape created by man. This nimble bird can often be seen near buildings, in gardens and city parks, and people everywhere welcome it as a faithful ally in the fight against insect pests.
Habitat. Lives in Europe, Asia and North Africa.

Habitat.
The great tit lives in Europe, Asia and northern Africa. The southern border of its range runs through North Africa, Israel, Iran and Ceylon, and in the north it reaches the subpolar tundra. This bird can be found throughout the vastness of Eurasia from the shores of the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Some tits live sedentary lives, and birds nesting in the north migrate to areas with a milder climate for the winter.

Species: Great tit – Parus major.
Family: Tit.
Order: Passerines.
Class: Birds.
Subphylum: Vertebrates.

Did you know?
The great tit is the largest of all European tits.
During the day, the body temperature of the tit is 42 °C, and at night it drops to 39 °C. The heart of this bird beats at a frequency of 500 beats per minute, and with strong excitement, the contraction frequency increases to 1000 beats per minute.
A tit eats more food per day than it weighs. A pair of tits feeding nine chicks delivers approximately 1,800 insects and larvae to their offspring every day. During their entire stay in the nest, the chicks eat about 15,000 insects and caterpillars.
In a 10-hectare area, great tits can kill 150,000 insects and caterpillars.
Great tits are surprisingly brave, agile and smart. In some places they have become so accustomed to the presence of people that they take food directly from people’s hands.
The sharp beak serves the tit as a multi-purpose tool. The bird hollows them out, cracks the hard shells of nuts and seeds, and picks out the larvae from under the bark. As it wears out, the beak continually grows back.

Security.
In many countries, the great tit, like its other relatives, is protected, although its population is very large and the bird is not in danger of extinction. Having long ago appreciated the enormous merits of these little birds in the fight against dangerous pests of crops and forests, people feed them in the winter, and in the spring they hang out nesting boxes, which quickly find owners. Tits living in cities often crash into transparent shop windows or glazed walls of high-rise buildings, so it is recommended to stick images of birds of prey on such surfaces, which scare away all the small birds from dangerous obstacles.

Lifestyle.
During the nesting season, the male great tit occupies the home range and defends its borders from other relatives, but in the fall and winter these sociable birds gather in flocks, often teaming up with other species of tits. Living in a flock helps them spot danger in time and find food. The composition of such a flock is constantly changing: some birds fly away, others join the group. Tits are very vocal and communicate with each other using a rich set of whistles and trills. At the end of winter, tit flocks begin to disintegrate. Males claim their rights to certain areas, and a little later the females also set off on a journey, trying to find a partner. The diet of tits is very diverse: in spring and summer they feed on all kinds of insects and their larvae, and in winter on larvae and spiders hidden under the bark. With no less appetite they eat plant seeds, beech and hazelnuts, seeds of ash, maple, euonymus, yew and hawthorn. In the fall, tits often feast on the pulp and seeds of overripe fruits, and in the snowy winter they flock to feeders in noisy flocks. In search of prey, these restless birds quickly run along the branches, often even upside down. Their natural enemies include small feathered predators, weasels, ferrets and martens, and squirrels and crows often destroy their nests.

Reproduction.
In the spring, the first thing a male tit occupies is his home range and immediately notifies rivals and neighbors about this with ringing trills, which at the same time attract females. Having noticed a possible partner, the male puffs up his shirtfront for greater importance and begins to nervously flutter around the chosen one. If the female likes the gentleman, she squats on a branch, opening her wings and beak, and demands a treat, and the male tries to feed her (perhaps in this way the female checks whether the future spouse will be able to feed the chicks). Then the male shows his girlfriend the place he has chosen for the nest, which can be a tree hollow or a titmouse, and if the female likes it, the couple begins to build a nest from thin twigs lined with dry blades of grass, moss, feathers and scraps of wool. In April, the female lays 6-12 white eggs with reddish speckles and incubates the clutch for 10-14 days, feeding on the male’s offerings. The chicks hatch blind and naked. After 2-3 weeks they fly out of the nest, but their parents feed them for about another week. As a rule, tits have one brood per year. Sometimes the pair manages to make another brood, and then the older chicks are fed by one male. In winter, juveniles join flocks of tits. Great tits reach sexual maturity at 10 months of age and hatch their offspring the following spring.

Great tit - Parus major.
Length: 14 cm.
Wingspan: 22-25 cm.
Weight: 15-20 g.
Number of eggs in a clutch: 6-12.
Incubation period: 10-14 days.
Sexual maturity: 10 months.
Food: insects, fruits, seeds.
Life expectancy: up to 15 years.

Structure.
Beak. The beak is short, cone-shaped.
Head. The upper side of the head is covered with a cap of black shiny feathers.
Body. The physique is quite dense.
Cheeks. Cheeks are white.
Mirror. There are white stripes on the wings, the so-called. mirrors.
Plumage. The dorsal side is yellowish-green, the abdomen is bright yellow. The wings, tail and tailbone are bluish-gray.
Tie. A wide black stripe, resembling a tie, stretches along the chest and abdomen.
Fingers. Four short fingers are equipped with sharp and tenacious claws.
Legs. Thin legs are devoid of feathers.

Related species.
The tit family includes about 65 species of birds inhabiting Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. All of them are small birds leading a sedentary lifestyle, and only species that nest far in the north migrate to warmer climes for the winter. These birds live mainly in forests, although many species have successfully adapted to life in the city. The main food of tits is insects and seeds.