Songbird Saturday: the Great Tit

This attractive green and yellow bird with its gorgeous, glossy black head is not only the UK’s biggest tit, it’s also generally the most visible – having adapted from their original woodland homes to human-made habitats, like gardens and parks – and very vocal. 

All the tits, including the Great Tit, call year-round but they become more assertive, more persistent, louder and clearer in the spring and summer when they’re jostling with other birds for mates and territories. This feisty, scrappy bird is particularly territorial, which is reflected in its voice.

When it comes to the Great Tit’s song, there’s something of an electronic, metallic sound to it. But that’s not to say it’s in any way unpleasant. This bold bird belts out a string of two-syllable phrases, which are usually described as ‘tee-cher, tee-cher, tee-cher’. With untiring insistence, the Great Tit can repeat this short phrase over and over again, like the politician of the bird world. Their song is higher pitched and more forceful than the quieter Blue Tit song, but sunnier and more cheerful sounding than the scarcer Coal Tit

But for those who think they’ve got the Great Tit song nailed, beware. There’s a saying amongst wildlife-lovers that if you hear birdsong you can’t identify it’s likely to be a Great Tit. And that’s because, while their trademark ‘tee-cher, tee-cher’ song is distinctive, they also have more than 40 other songs and calls! They can switch between each vocalisation in their repertoire with remarkable versatility, though some of their transitions can be a little harsh, sometimes unfavourably described as sounding like a ‘squeaky bicycle pump’. The Great Tit is also an incredible mimic and is able to incorporate the calls of other birds, such as the Chaffinch and Nuthatch, into its own – a habit that can throw even the most experienced birder!

What’s more, thanks to the Great Tit’s presence in so many, varied environments, its call is statistically the one you’re most likely to hear!