The tits, chickadees, and titmice, family Paridae, are a large family of small passerine birds which occur in the northern hemisphere and Africa.
Most were formerly in the genus Parus; some recent authors have split this large group into several genera (as indicated below), which has
been followed by North American ornithological authorities but not elsewhere.
[Great tit - click to enlarge]
On current evidence, only Pseudopodoces, Baeolophus, Melanochlora and Sylviparus are well supported as distinct genera from Parus
(Harrap & Quinn, Tits, Nuthatches & Treecreepers, ISBN 0-7136-3964-4). The order in the list below follows Harrap & Quinn, with the incorporation of the recent split of
Plain Titmouse into Oak and Juniper Titmice, and the addition of Hume's Ground Tit.
[Great tit - click to enlarge]
These birds are called "chickadees" (derived from their distinctive "chick-a dee dee dee" call) or "titmice" in North America, and just "tits"
in the rest of the English speaking world. The name titmouse is attested from the 14th century, composed of the Old English name for the bird,
mase (Proto-Germanic *maison) and tit, denoting something small. The spelling was influenced by mouse in the 16th century. "Chickadee"
is onomatopoeic, i.e., sounds like the call of many North American species.
[Great tit - click to enlarge]
These are mainly small stocky woodland species with short stout bills. Some have crests. They are adaptable birds, with a mixed diet including seeds
and insects. Many species will live around human habitation and come readily to bird feeders for nuts or seed, and learn to take other foods. In England,
Great Tits learned to break open the foil caps sealing bottles of milk that had been delivered to homes to get at the cream floating on top.
These are hole-nesting birds laying speckled white eggs.
In the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, the Paridae family is much enlarged to include related groups such as the Penduline tits and Long-tailed tits.
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The Great Tit, Parus major, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common species throughout Europe and Asia in any sort of woodland.
It is resident, and most birds do not migrate.
It is an easy tit to recognise, large in size at 14cm, with a broad black line (broader in the male) down its otherwise yellow front. The neck and head
are black with white cheeks and ear coverts. Upperparts are olive. It has a white wingbar and outer tail feathers. In young birds the black is replaced by
brown, and the white by yellow.
[Great tit - click to enlarge]
There are many races of this widespread species, but they fall into three groups. Birds in temperate Europe and Asia are essentially green above and
yellow below. Great Tits in China, Japan and southeastern Russia are green above and white or yellow-tinged white below, and birds in India and southeast
Asia are grey above and whitish below.
It is, like other tits, a vocal bird, and has a large variety of calls, of which the most familiar is a "teacher, teacher", also likened to a squeaky wheelbarrow
wheel. Interestingly, the birds from the two south Asian groups of races do not recognise the calls of the temperate Great Tits, and they may be a separate species.
[Great tit - click to enlarge]
Any hole will do for a nest, and it will readily take to nest boxes. The number in the clutch is often very large, but seven or eight white eggs, spotted red,
are normal, with bigger clutches being laid by two or even more hens. The bird is a close sitter, hissing when disturbed.
Like other tits, its food is insects, especially caterpillars when feeding young, and seeds. In England, Great Tits learned to break open the foil caps
sealing bottles of milk that had been delivered to homes to get at the cream floating on top. This is a common and popular European garden bird, due to
its acrobatic performances when feeding on nuts or seed. It will join winter tit flocks with other species.
[Great tit - click to enlarge]
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