Coal Tit

The smallest and most charming European tit. It mostly lives in coniferous forests but frequently visits garden bird feeders. It is a neat grey-and-black bird that lacks the bright yellow and blue colours of its relatives. It is well adapted to foraging among pine and spruce needles.

Coal Tits are incredibly active and fast. They rarely eat at the feeder itself, instead taking a single seed and flying off to store it in a bark crevice or among conifer needles. They can create hundreds or even thousands of such food caches to help them survive the winter. Their song is a fast, high-pitched 'if-ee, if-ee, if-ee'.