Many of us who took part in last week's Big Garden Birdwatch will no doubt be familiar with Coal Tits, Blue Tits and Great Tits, but how well do you know the much more elusive Bearded Tit? This supposed relative is unlikely to turn up in your garden, so read on to learn more about one of Scotland's rarest breeding birds.
While they may be rocking some funky facial features, Bearded Tits don’t actually have beards! The black markings found on male birds are far more reminiscent of a large, droopy moustache. Studies have shown that the longer a bird’s ‘moustache’, the more dominant it is likely to be.
Some looks never go out of style. Image credit: Ben Andrew.
Carrying on with misnomers, Bearded Tits aren’t actually tits! They were once thought to be close cousins with Coal Tits and Blue Tits, hence the name, however we now know that they have no close relatives and are the only species in the family, Panuridae.
There are less than 700 breeding pairs of Bearded Tits in the UK, so they can be tricky birds to track down. However one of the best places to spot them is on our Tay Reedbeds nature reserve, near Perth. As the largest continuous stretch of reedbed in the UK, the site offers plenty of nesting space and has a wide range of insects to feed on in the summer months.
As well as Bearded Tits, Tay Reedbeds is also a great place to see Marsh Harriers and Water Rails. Image credit: Andy Hay.
That said, insects aren’t a reliable food source all year-round, so fortunately Bearded Tits are very adaptable. When autumn comes along, they swallow small, rough stones and sand, to help them break down the seeds they eat in winter.
Despite their distinctive look, Bearded Tits can be very difficult to see, as their brown plumage helps them blend in with their habitat. Fortunately, they have an equally distinctive call, described as a metallic ‘ping’. Keep your ears open, then see if you can home in on one flitting between the reeds.
If he shaved his moustache he'd be nigh-on invisible. Image credit: Ben Andrew.
Visit our website for even more Bearded Tits facts and photos.
Header image shows a Bearded Tit doing the splits to perch between two reeds. Credit: Les Cater.