Marsh Tit
Poecile palustris
The Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris) is a common tits, chickadees, and titmice found in 46 countries, weighing about 11 g. The marsh tit is a Eurasian passerine bird in the tit family Paridae and genus Poecile, closely related to the willow tit, Père David's and Songar tits.
About the Marsh Tit
The marsh tit is a Eurasian passerine bird in the tit family Paridae and genus Poecile, closely related to the willow tit, Père David's and Songar tits. It is a small bird, around 12 cm (4.7 in) long and weighing 12 g (0.42 oz), with a black crown and nape, pale cheeks, brown back and greyish-brown wings and tail. Between 8 and 11 subspecies are recognised. Its close resemblance to the willow tit can cause identification problems, especially in the United Kingdom where the local subspecies of the two are very similar; they were not recognised as separate species until 1897.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The nominate subspecies has a black cap and nape with a blue sheen visible at close quarters. The black 'bib' below the bill is rather small; the cheeks are white, turning dusky brown on the ear coverts. The upperparts, tail and wings are greyish-brown, with slightly paler fringes to the tertials. The underparts are off-white with a buff or brown tinge strongest on the flanks and undertail coverts. The bill is black and the legs dark grey.
What the Marsh Tit sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, June, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Marsh Tit?
- The nominate subspecies has a black cap and nape with a blue sheen visible at close quarters. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Marsh Tit?
- The Marsh Tit is a tiny sized bird weighing about 11 g.
- Where can you see a Marsh Tit?
- The Marsh Tit occurs in 46 countries, including Sweden, France, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom.
- What does a Marsh Tit sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Marsh Tit on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Marsh Tit?
- The Marsh Tit is most easily confused with the Willow Tit, the Mountain Chickadee and the Chestnut-backed Chickadee.
- Is the Marsh Tit endangered?
- The Marsh Tit is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Marsh Tit for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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