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Eurasian Blue Tit (Cyanistes [Parus] caeruleus) German name(s): "Blaumeise" Size: 11-12 cm; wing span: 17.5-20 cm Body mass: 9-13 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.13-0.20

Europe: Family Group 16 Family Group 16 Table Eurasian Blue Tit Great Tit Coal Tit Marsh Tit Willow Tit Sombre Tit European Crested Tit Eurasian Penduline Tit Long-tailed Tit Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Eurasian Blue Tits are the smallest of the European tits. They have a bluish cap and otherwise light-grey head with a black eye-stripe. The nape of the neck is dark-grey. The throat is also grey. The rest of the front is greyish-yellow, while the back is grey. The irises are dark, the short, stout bill is dark-grey and the legs and feet are also dark-grey. The sexes are hard to tell apart. Males have a brighter blue cap ("beret") than females.

Taxonomy, classification See Eurasian Blue Tit at Wikipedia (or Blaumeise at German Wikipedia ). Click here for classification information The former race "teneriffae" of the Eurasian Blue Tit has now been given full species status as the "African Blue Tit" (Cyanistes [Parus] teneriffae).

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Eurasian Blue Tit is available HERE . There are at present 7 accepted extant races of Eurasian Blue Tits, which are a sedentary species throughout their range. Their overall distribution extends throughout Europe, from Iberia and the British Isles and Ireland, to European Russia and the Caucasus. They are NOT present in the north-eastern part of Scandinavia and far north-western Russia. They are also present in Asia Minor, small parts of the Levant, and in parts of western Iran. The taxonomy of this species keeps getting revised - for details see the current literature. In Europe, Eurasian Blue Tits, nominate race "caeruleus", populate central and northern Europe, from about the Pyrenees and the Alps to central Scandinavia, and eastward to almost to the Ural Mountains. They are also found throughout south-eastern Europe. The British Isles are populated by race "obscurus". The western Mediterranean race "ogliastrae?" is found in Corsica and Sardinia - and likely in Portugal and southern Spain. The Eurasian Blue Tits on Mallorca are recognized as separate race "balearicus". Eurasian Blue Tits, nominate race "caeruleus", have a preference for mixed woodlands and forest and also visit gardens and urban parks.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "caeruleus" D. Wilczynska reports finding Eurasian Blue Tits, nominate race "caeruleus", regularly in the area of Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland. H. Dahlem-Senger and M. Thomas report seeing Eurasian Blue Tits, race "caeruleus", regularly in the area of Eltville, Hessen, Germany. A. Sarok reports finding Eurasian Blue Tits, race "caeruleus", in Vojvodina, Serbia, in the timeframe 2010-2024. In the past we used to see Eurasian Blue Tits, race "caeruleus", regularly in various parts of Germany, including e.g. the Eifel low mountain range, Rheinland-Pfalz. Race "obscurus" C. Pears reports finding Eurasian Blue Tits, race "obscurus", at Watendlath, Lake District, Cumbria, England, in September 2014. Others were found in the North Yorkshire Dales and in the Lake District, England, in September 2023. M. Eaton spotted Eurasian Blue Tits, race "obscurus", at Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve, Fareham, Hampshire, England, and in Hyde Park, London, England, in September 2019. Race "ogliastrae" J. Pires reports finding Eurasian Blue Tits, race "ogliastrae(?)", regularly in the area of the Tejo estuary to Mora, Evora, Portugal. They were also found at Albufeira de Borba, Borba, Alentejo, Portugal, in December 2019.

Photos

Race "caeruleus"

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
Male Eurasian Blue Tits, left, have a bright-blue "beret", while that of females is dull-blue. Varying light conditions and birds being wet or dry can make sexing them using this criterion quite difficult.

MALE

Frontal view of a soaking wet male(?) Eurasian Blue Tit - note the dark-blue cap (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, February 2015]

Frontal view of a male Eurasian Blue Tit hanging on the side of a tree trunk (photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Vojvodina, Serbia, date unknown]

Frontal view of a male Eurasian Blue Tit looking sideways (photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Vojvodina, Serbia, date unknown]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a Eurasian Blue Tit; the dull cap indicates that this may be a female (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, February 2015]

Close-up near-lateral view of a female(?) Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, January 2017]

Lateral view of a female Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, February 2015]

Dorsal view of a female Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, February 2015]

Sex unknown

Near-frontal/ventral view of a Eurasian Blue Tit at a bird feeder (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, February 2019]

Direct lateral comparison of a European Blue Tit with a Great Tit (photo courtesy of H. Dahlem-Senger)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, January 2026]

Race "obscurus"

ADULT

MALE

Lateral view of a male Eurasian Blue Tit looking towards the observer; note the bright-blue cap (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Hyde Park, London, England, September 2017]

Lateral view of a male Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve, Fareham, Hampshire, England, September 2019]

FEMALE

Lateral view of a female Eurasian Blue Tit looking towards the observer; note the dull-blue cap (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Borrowdale, Lake District, England, September 2023]

Sex unknown

Lateral/ventral view of a Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Hyde Park, London, England, September 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Watendlath, Lake District, Cumbria, England, September 2014]

Race "ogliastrae(?)"

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
Male Eurasian Blue Tits, left, have a bright-blue "beret", while that of females is dull-blue. Varying light conditions and birds being wet or dry can make sexing them using this criterion quite difficult.

MALE

Frontal view of a male(?) Eurasian Blue Tit looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2018]

Near-lateral view of a male(?) Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Santa Justa, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, September 2022]

Lateral view of a male(?) Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Santa Justa, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, September 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a male(?) Eurasian Blue Tit looking backwards (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2022]

Near-dorsal view of a male(?) Eurasian Blue Tit looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2022]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2022]

Frontal view of a female Eurasian Blue Tit looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2022]

Near-frontal view of a female(?) Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, June 2022]

Lateral view of a female(?) Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, June 2022]

Close-up lateral/ventral view of a female(?) Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2019]

Sex unknown

Near-lateral view of a Eurasian Blue Tit looking at the observer (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2015]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Albufeira de Borba, Borba, Alentejo, Portugal, December 2019]

Lateral view of a Eurasian Blue Tit looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tejo estuary, Portugal, February 2017]

Lateral view of a Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2016]

Near-dorsal view of a Eurasian Blue Tit; note the complete absence of a white wingbar, which has probably been lost due to wear and tear (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Santa Justa, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, May 2023]

Near-dorsal view onto the upperparts of a Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, August 2025]

Near-dorsal view of a Eurasian Blue Tit at take-off (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2019]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Eurasian Blue Tit; note the yellow fringe to the ear coverts (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Santa Justa, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, May 2022]

Near-frontal view of a juvenile Eurasian Blue Tit looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Santa Justa, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, May 2022]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a fledgling Eurasian Blue Tit begging for food (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2019]

Lateral view of a juvenile Eurasian Blue Tit (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Santa Justa, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, May 2022]

Two adult Eurasian Blue Tits feeding a juvenile (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2020]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Family clan

Only in the north-eastern part of their range, in some autumns, European Blue Tits flock south-westward in large numbers.

Food, Diet

Frontal view of a Eurasian Blue Tit prying seeds out of a pod (photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Vojvodina, Serbia, date unknown]

Frontal view of a Eurasian Blue Tit feasting on pears (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, August 2015]

Near-lateral view of a Eurasian Blue Tit feasting on pears (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, August 2015]

Eurasian Blue Tits seem to be partial to fennel seeds (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, September 2018]

Eurasian Blue Tits seem to be partial to fennel seeds (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, September 2018]

Eurasian Blue Tit taking flesh from a broken acorn (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2016]

This Eurasian Blue Tit has caught a caterpillar (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2019]

Hmmmm - blackberry! (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, September 2019]

Lateral view of a Eurasian Blue Tit approaching a feeder in an urban garden (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, January 2015]

Often Eurasian Blue Tits can be seen hanging off the ball while feeding (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[Ostrow Mazowiecka, Masovia, Poland, January 2017]

Eurasian Blue Tit and a Long-tailed Tit at a bird feeder (photo courtesy of M. Thomas)
[Eltville, Hessen, Germany, February 2019]

Mob of Eurasian Blue Tits visiting bird feeders (photo courtesy of C. Pears)
[Borrowdale, Lake District, England, September 2023]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

bluetit_dw_20190324.m4a	caeruleus (Poland)	Pair Q&A	© DW
bluetit_dw_20210312.m4a	caeruleus (Poland)	Territorial calls?	© DW
bluetit_dw_20170109.m4a	caeruleus (Poland)	?	© DW
bluetit_dw_20170210.mp3	caeruleus (Poland)	?	© DW
bluetit_jp_20230101_2.m4a	ogliastrae? (Portugal)	Contact calls?	© JP
bluetit_jp_20230101.m4a	ogliastrae? (Portugal)	Territorial calls?	© JP
bluetit_jp_20220123.mp3	ogliastrae? (Portugal)	Territorial calls?	© JP
bluetit_jp_20200403.m4a	ogliastrae? (Portugal)	Territorial calls?	© JP
bluetit_jp_2025xxxx.m4a	ogliastrae? (Portugal)	Territorial calls?	© JP
bluetit_jp_20251109.m4a	ogliastrae? (Portugal)	Warning calls?	© JP
bluetit_jp_20200412.m4a	ogliastrae? (Portugal)	Various	© JP

More Eurasian Blue Tit sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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