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bird Long-Tailed Tits

Identify It >   Birds Section >   Long-Tailed Tits >


Scientific name:  Aegithalos caudatus

Size:  Up to 140mm long

Distribution:  Found throughout the U.K.

Months seen:  All year round

Habitat:  Parks, gardens and woodland

Food:  Insects and seeds

Special features:  Long-tailed tits have a very rounded body with, as the name suggests, a very long tail.  From a distance they look like a tennis ball on a stick.  The plumage is mostly pinkish-white with broad black stripes over each eye running down the back and tail.  The beak and legs are black.  Juveniles have black cheeks and shorter tails.

Long-tailed tits are very acrobatic and always on the move, flitting from tree to tree in search of food.  They're frequently seen in gardens in the winter months where they often arrive in flocks.  Long-tailed tits have also been known to burrow for food (and shelter) in snow.

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