Best time to see: all year

Key facts

Small tit with a tail longer than its body

Habitat: hedgerows and woods with an understorey of bushes or scrub

Widespread and common resident

Recognition

White head with black eye stripe; pink on wings and body; long black tail with white outer feathers; 13–14 cm

Often seen in noisy flocks up to 20 strong, working their way through trees and bushes

Feeds mainly on insects and spiders, occasionally seeds and buds

Lifecycle

Nest is an elaborate oval-shaped dome of moss, cobwebs and hair lined with feathers, in the middle of a bush or tree

1 or 2 broods of 8–12 white eggs, freckled red-brown, March to early May

Successful adults often helped to feed young by other long-tailed tits whose broods have failed