Willow Tit
Poecile montanus
The Willow Tit (Poecile montanus) is a common tits, chickadees, and titmice found in 42 countries, weighing about 11 g. The willow tit is a passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae.
About the Willow Tit
The willow tit is a passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and across the Palearctic. The plumage is grey-brown and off-white with a black cap and bib. It is more of a conifer specialist than the closely related marsh tit, which explains its breeding much farther north. It is resident, and most birds do not migrate.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The willow tit is 11.5 cm (4.5 in) in length, has a wingspan of 17–20.5 cm (6.7–8.1 in) and weighs around 11 g (0.39 oz). It has a large head, a thin bill, a long dull black cap that descends to the mantle and a black bib. The sides of the face are white, the back is grey-brown and the underparts are buff. The sexes are similar in appearance.
What the Willow Tit sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in North Korea.
When to see it
The Willow Tit can be seen all year round, 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 Willow Tit?
- The willow tit is 11.5 cm (4.5 in) in length, has a wingspan of 17–20.5 cm (6.7–8.1 in) and weighs around 11 g (0.39 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Willow Tit?
- The Willow Tit is a tiny sized bird weighing about 11 g.
- Where can you see a Willow Tit?
- The Willow Tit occurs in 42 countries, including Finland, Sweden, Norway, Germany and France.
- What does a Willow Tit sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Willow Tit on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Willow Tit?
- The Willow Tit is most easily confused with the Marsh Tit, the Mountain Chickadee and the Boreal Chickadee.
- Is the Willow Tit endangered?
- The Willow Tit is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Willow 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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