Spring is the season where many things come to life, including increased bird activities. Birds are usually racing against limited time in spring to pair up and raise broods. One of the small bird species you are likely to see is Blue Tit and in the following article, I will answer the question, when do blue tits nest?.
Generally, Blue Tits nest between April and June but have been known to nest much earlier. It is believed that this variation in nesting times may be the result of the Blue Tit attempting to time their breeding, perhaps coinciding with the availability of food. They typically only have one brood annually and the female can lay up to 14 eggs, taking around 15 days for the incubation process.
Although Blue Tits nest in April, they actually start looking for looking around March, read on to learn more about this fascinating bird!`
The Blue Tit
Blue Tits are lively and entertaining birds frequent visitors to garden tables and bird feeders. Scientifically known as Cyanistes caeruleus, these acrobatic and inquisitive birds are easily garden favourites since they are peanut lovers. These birds have small blue caps, black eye-stripes, and whiteheads. Besides that, they tend to have bluish backs and yellow underparts. The bluish colour usually tends to be brighter near the wings, with males and females almost looking similar. This makes it tough to differentiate them.
However, juvenile Blue Tits have a duller appearance. For instance, they don’t have white cheeks or blue caps, but they get brighter as they grow older. The bluish colour is usually more subdued with a visibly greenish colour and yellowish cheeks.
This bird species is sometimes confused with Great Tits since they have similar wing and body colours. However, Blue Tits are smaller and have different head colourations.
Great Tits have prominently larger black crowns with white undissected cheeks. Meanwhile, Blue Tits have smaller blue crowns with dark lines running through their whitish cheeks.
Nesting time
You will find that in March, the males and females start looking for suitable mating partners. The pairs, after that, can be seen prospecting various nest boxes in comfortable spaces such as gardens since they are planning to raise chicks.
The nest-building process will continue in the next few weeks. It should be noted that the female Blue Tit will start to build the nest alone, but her mate will constantly be following her around to ward off other males that may try to mate with her even though the males are protective of their mating partners. It has been established that almost 40% of nests belonging to Blue Tits usually have at least one chick from a different male parent.
While incubating her eggs, the male will feed his female mate. This process is also known as courtship feeding, even though the female occasionally leaves her nest. Here’s what happens when the female bird is incubating:
- You will see the male bird more outside the nest looking for food because the female will be incubating.
- If you see the female bird outside while incubating, it will have a visibly bald spot around its belly. It normally plucks its feathers to ensure that as much warmth is provided to the eggs through the brood spot.
- Once the incubation is complete, both partners will constantly search for food while also removing “things” from the next. This is usually faecal matter.
Do Blue Tits Usually Reuse Nests?
A Blue Tit can reuse its nest, but this will come with an additional redesign feature. After raising a brood successfully, a Blue Tit can use the remnants of this nest and add new layers of leaves and moss to pad it effectively.
Besides that, the bird can also add feathers, hair, and spider webs to create a comfortable soft lining. The female will fidget about creating something like a well to ensure that the nest is secure. This well will keep the eggs in the nest more intact.
Blue Tits are cavity nesters, and this usually provides a secure zone against rain and wind. This feature explains why these birds love bird boxes. They can also use old woodpecker nests to create a more robust and ergonomic structure.
When Do Young Blu Tits Leave their Nest?
It’s the responsibility of a blue tit parent to encourage the young ones to get out of the next. Evidence suggests that the parent usually stops frequently flying back and forth with food. Instead, they sit outside the nest and call the youngsters.
This is a thrilling and sad moment, but it’s what makes their cycle of growth complete. This fledging process usually occurs after three weeks after the chicks are hatched. After 21 days, they would have quadrupled in size, developed wing muscles and feathers that they need to fly and survive out here.
A blue tit parent must encourage the chicks to get out since feeding them is demanding, especially when they grow rapidly. It’s a full-time job that needs the efforts of both parents.
It should be noted that a chick needs almost 100 caterpillars daily. If there is a brood of 5 or 10, the adults need to feed them at 500 or 1000 caterpillars every day. On the other hand, an adult may need as much as 1000 caterpillars daily. This makes the feeding process quite challenging for both parents and chicks. Besides that, the amount of faecal matter that comes with this kind of feeding is a lot, and parents must frequently love the faecal sacs to ensure the nest is clean.
Its, therefore, important for the chicks to leave the nest as soon as they are ready to flap their wing muscles rapidly. The process is usually gradual, however. They start by exploring the nest’s entrance and the surrounding space before finally taking a leap of faith and flying away.
How Many Blue Tits are in the UK?
As of 2016, there were around 3.4 million Blue Tit pairs. They live for around three years, but this bird species has a longevity record that spans ten years!
Can I Remove an Active Nest?
According to U. K’s Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it’s illegal; to intentionally destroy, take, or damage an active wild bird’s nest. So, active Blue Tit nests should be touched or destroyed even though you will likely come across them on a wide range of surfaces, including walls and tree trunks.
If a Blue Tit nests in your property or garden, then you must wait until the nest is inactive, and then you can get a builder to refurbish the wall.
Feeding Blue Tits
When do you need to start and stop feeding this bird? Well, you can feed a Blue Tit right into spring. This is between February and March since they need energy during the colder months to survive. However, some people continue to feed birds until April. There’s nothing wrong with this since they need extra care, especially the females who will have to spend more energy creating eggs usually laid between April and May.
It should be noted that the feeding behaviour usually changes when chicks hatch. Then, parents will leave the nest and start searching for natural and nutrient-rich food.
Nest boxes
The Blue Tit species is a prolific nesting box user. Blue Tits generally use nest boxes made with 25 mm entrance holes. This usually gives them the much-needed convenience when getting in and out of the nest.
Interesting Fact: The best orientation of the nest box should be in the northeast direction.
The best place to put the box is on a tree or a wall. Ensure that you attach it 2-4M high. The Northern/ Eastern direction and this height range are important in protecting the bird against direct sunlight and wet winds.
So, how do they claim a nest box? There’s high competition for nesting boxes. So, Blue Tits, just like other birds, usually claim nest ownership as soon as they find the right place that suits them. A claimed nest will have birds pecking around the entrance hole to create a noticeable visual and audio signal to other birds that might have been interested in the same place.
Besides pecking the entrance to signify ownership, these birds also do so to assess the strength and durability of the nesting box for their brood. Males do the pecking, especially during spring, to entice and impress the females.
Are Blue Tits Territorial?
Yes. Like many other birds that tend to be more territorial near their nests. They usually sing to warn off competitors. But if there is a territorial dispute with another bird, this will be settled by the end of March, just before the onset of the breeding season.
But larger bird species pose serious territorial threats to Blue Tits and sometimes evict them from their nests. However, you can still play your role and help Blue Tits by installing a nesting box with a smaller entrance hole that won’t fit the large birds.
How Can I Assist Blue Tits in My Garden?
Apart from providing nesting boxes, you can also supply them with fresh water and food supply using bird feeders.
However, you should be ready to regularly clean and disinfect these feeders and the bird’s feeding sites to minimise the chances of viral and bacterial transmission effectively.
Can More than One Blue Tit Family Reside in the Same Garden?
Blue Tits are only territorial among themselves and it’s unlikely that more than one Blue Tit family will be found in one garden. This is because they will be competing for the same food supplies, leading to scarcity. Adult Blue Tits are always looking for environments abundant with food for their young ones.
Which Trees Do Blue Tits Love to Nest On?
These birds love trees with rotted roles because they love to make nests in narrow spaces. A gap of 25 mm would be ideal for them if they could access the cavity. Besides that, a smaller entrance is important for them as it protects them from threats such as scavengers and weather elements.
Generally, these birds love the oak tree since it offers them the perfect shelter and supplies them with a wide range of fresh insects. In addition, birds with chicks would flourish in such an environment since they need reliable food sources.
They are commonly found in parks, gardens, and woodlands in the UK. These are European birds that are very much present within this continent.
Can I Attract Blue Tits?
You can do this by putting fat and peanuts in specific areas that are likely to see the food. This can be highly effective in the winter season, where food availability is scarce.
Get a mesh container, put your peanuts there, and hang it in a garden tree or a wall where the birds will likely see the food. You can also hang more than one mesh container in different areas. While doing so, add a nest box near these areas to encourage the birds to nest there.
The Blue Tit call
Blue Tits make a high-pitched call, frequently producing the pleasant “tsee, tsee” sound followed by a sweet trill. But, besides that, they also produce other calls, including scolding alarm calls and contact calls.
Recordist Patrik Åberg
Interesting Facts About Nesting Blue Tits
They prefer to live in wooded areas since they have easier access to a wide range of edibles, especially caterpillars.
Females start laying eggs after mating with a male in a nest. They usually lay as much as 14 eggs with just an egg per day. Note that a female Blue Tit weighs around 10g, but each egg weighs around 1g.
They love well-protected gardens and environments since they spend much time in their nests hatching. So, they need secure and robust surroundings away from other threatening birds and safe from weather elements.
Nesting Blue Tits live in gardens with a high supply of natural food and regular supplementary food and water.
The incubation process usually starts after the last egg has been laid and takes around 15 days before the chicks are hatched.
In late autumn and during the winter season, roving tits will join other small birds in their surroundings, searching for food. The flock might consist of up to 40 different bird species.
See Also
- What is the difference between Sparrow and Dunnock?
- Birds of Prey: South and South-East England
- What is the difference between Crow and Raven?
- What is the difference between Raven and Rook?
- Which birds murmurate?
