Blue tit: detailed profile & pictures

What do blue tits look like, when do they breed and what do they eat? In this article we answer all questions about the domestic blue tit.

The blue tit is our most colorful species of tit

The blue tit ( Cyanistes caeruleus) is also one of our smallest and most frequent guests in domestic gardens. At just 11 grams, it weighs less than a packet of baking powder and is anything but inconspicuous. In fact, with its colorful plumage and lively behavior, the blue tit is one of our most eye-catching species of birds. Basically, she can never sit still and even moves upside down on thin branches through the treetops.

Blue tits: a detailed profile

size	About 12 cm
Weight	Approx. 11 g
Breeding season	April May
lifespan	Up to 5 years
habitat	Forests, parks and gardens
Feed preference	Insects and their larvae, seeds, berries (real “omnivores”)
Threats	Decline in natural habitat and food supply

How to recognize the blue tit

The blue tit is easy to recognize by its blue-green back and yellow underside. A dark, vertical line runs across the chest and stomach, the white face is traversed by a narrow, black eye stripe and the parting forms a blue “cap”. The blue tit can only be confused with the great tit, which differs from its little sister by its slightly larger shape and black head. Since young blue tits and great tits already look quite similar to their parents, they can also be distinguished early on by the features mentioned.

The blue tit is easy to recognize by its blue cap and yellow breast [Photo: Fexel / Shutterstock.com]

How does the song of the blue tit sound?

The song of the blue tit begins with two high, clear elements and ends in a trilling stanza: “Tsi-tsi-tsürrrr”. Overall, the bird's voice sounds very bright and lovely.

The blue tit song sounds like this:

How do you recognize the young birds?

Young blue tits are not yet as intensely colored as their parents. They are characterized by an inconspicuous blue-gray top and a whitish-yellow bottom. The eye stripe and the – at the beginning still gray – skull cap are formed early on, which means that you can recognize the little ones quite clearly.

The young blue tits are not yet as colorful as their parents [Photo: Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH / Shutterstock.com]

How do you recognize the blue tit's eggs?

A female lays an average of 7 to 13 eggs per brood, and clutches of up to 19 eggs have also been detected. The eggs are about the size of a fingernail, cream-colored and speckled with reddish tones. They are laid one after the other and only incubated when the clutch is complete.

The blue tit's reddish-speckled eggs are only about the size of a fingernail [Photo: YK / Shutterstock.com]

How do female and male blue tits differ?

In contrast to many other bird species, blue tits have the same color as males and females, which is why it is very difficult to clearly determine the sex of an individual. Common features are the blue apex, which is usually more intense blue in males than in females, and the black collar, which is somewhat wider and darker in males. However, these features vary between individuals and are not always clear, especially to the untrained eye.

Which habitat do blue tits prefer?

Blue tits naturally prefer old deciduous forests, where they find plenty of food in the form of insects and spiders as well as nesting opportunities. Despite the current lack of this habitat, the blue tit is one of the most common bird species in Germany. The small birds have proven to be extremely adaptable and now colonize man-made structures such as parks and gardens on a large scale.

Where do they build their nest?

Blue tits are cave breeders and use natural tree hollows and crevices as breeding grounds, in which they build nests out of moss and small twigs and then pad them with animal hair and feathers. In the absence of suitable tree hollows, blue tits are very creative and find refuge in cracks in walls, holey facades or even old mailboxes.

Blue tits naturally breed in tree hollows [Photo: Kletr / Shutterstock.com]

When do blue tits breed?

The breeding season of the blue tit begins in mid-April. The eggs are incubated for around two weeks, and the young birds are fed in the nest for 16 to 18 days after hatching. Then the young fly out, but as so-called branchlings who are not yet experienced enough to support themselves, they remain dependent on their parents for some time. After the first brood has been successfully rearing, a second one occasionally follows, which can extend the breeding period to the beginning of August.

Where do blue tits spend the winter?

The blue tit is a resident bird in Germany, which means that it spends the winter with us and does not move south. However, due to the reduced food supply, blue tits may retreat to reed areas and feed on the insect larvae that overwinter there. In winter, smaller groups often form, in which the blue tits even hunt side by side with other species such as the great tit or the golden cockerel.

Support blue tits: Here's how

Due to the progressive loss of natural habitat, the blue tit, like many other bird species, is dependent on man-made habitats. There, however, important structures are often missing, such as old trees with caves and crevices in which the blue tits can build their nests. The food supply quickly becomes scarce, especially in winter. However, by offering food and artificial nesting facilities, it is easy to support the small birds.

Like all tits, blue tits prefer hanging feeding places [Photo: taviphoto / Shutterstock.com]

What do blue tits eat?

Before feeding the birds, the question arises: what do blue tits eat? The diet of the blue tit consists mainly of insects and their larvae – especially when rearing nestlings, caterpillars make up a major part of the diet. But they also use a variety of seeds, nuts and berries and are therefore real omnivores. If you want to offer bought or homemade bird food in addition, you should reach for sunflower seeds and broken peanuts. Fat cakes or tit dumplings are also gladly accepted. Our Plantura tit dumplings are an ideal choice for this, because they consist of natural, nutrient-rich ingredients and do not require plastic nets that cause rubbish and in which the little tits could get tangled and injured. A special feature that all tits have in common is that they prefer hanging feeding places.

Which nesting boxes are suitable for blue tits?

Since blue tits are cave breeders, any nesting box that is offered should be closed all around except for a round entrance hole (although it should be possible to open it for occasional cleaning). An ordinary tit box, which is suitable for all species, has an entrance hole of 32 mm. Those who specifically support blue tits and want to exclude competition with the somewhat larger great tit should, however, choose an entrance hole of 26-28 mm.

How can you give blue tits additional support?

If you want to give your blue tits breeding in the nesting box additional support, you can ensure that there is a sufficient natural supply of food. In fact, there are often not enough caterpillars in gardens to raise the young. This can be remedied by promoting popular food crops for the caterpillars, such as nettle, blackberry, willow or sloe. Furthermore, the use of chemical pesticides should be avoided, as these have a negative impact on the supply of caterpillars and can also have toxic effects on the birds via the food chain.

In addition to additional food, a bird bath can also be installed in the garden, which is particularly useful in hot temperatures. This should be flat enough that the birds can stand in it and – since the bowls are also often used as a bath – it should be cleaned regularly.

In addition, all measures to promote insects are of course also good for the blue tit – such as creating a meadow for beneficial insects. Our Plantura beneficial insect magnet offers a wide range of food and habitat for numerous insect species.

You can find more tips for creating an insect-friendly garden here. Of course, this also benefits other bird species, such as the great tit.