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The surest way to distinguish this bird is by the white patch on the back of its neck.

British Birds - Tits, Treecreepers and Woodpeckers

Tits, treecreepers and woodpeckers are woodland favourites with bold patterns and busy behaviour. Learn the clues to spot them, from climbing style to drumming and calls.

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Fascinating Fact:

The Eurasian treecreeper usually works upwards in a spiral, then flies down to the base of another tree to start again.

In Specialist Nature, these birds are ideal for learning behaviour-based identification. Tits often move in lively groups, calling frequently as they search twigs and leaves for insects. Treecreepers blend into bark and feed by creeping up trunks, while woodpeckers use strong bills to probe wood, and they can be noticed by their bouncing flight and drumming, which is a way of communicating rather than just finding food.

Key Terms

Drumming: Rapid tapping on a tree by a woodpecker, used mainly to signal territory or attract a mate.
Camouflage: Colours and patterns that help an animal blend into its surroundings, such as bark-like markings.
Forage: To search for food, often by moving through branches, leaves, or along tree trunks.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

How can I tell a treecreeper from a nuthatch?

A treecreeper is small, brown and streaky, and it usually climbs upwards in short hops while hugging the trunk. A nuthatch is bulkier with a stronger bill, and it can walk both up and down the trunk, often head-first, and it shows a bold dark stripe through the eye.

Why do woodpeckers drum on trees?

Woodpeckers drum to communicate, especially in spring. The sound carries a long way through woodland and helps them claim a territory and attract a mate, so drumming is often more like a message than a feeding method.

What do tits eat in gardens and woodlands?

Tits mainly eat insects, caterpillars and spiders, especially when feeding chicks. In colder months they also take seeds and nuts, and they may visit feeders for fat balls or sunflower hearts, which can help them through winter.

Try These Related Quizzes

To see a larger image, click on the picture.

1 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Maximilian Dorsch

Willow Tit

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Marsh Tit

Blue Tit

Group: Tits
Binomial: Parus caeruleus
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paridae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
Both sexes have similar colouring but the females are slightly paler
Smaller than the Great Tit and without the prominent black stripe down its front
It does not migrate

2 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://www.marekszczepanek.pl/

Green Woodpecker

Willow Tit

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Group: Tits
Binomial: Parus montana
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paridae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
Often excavates its own nesting hole, even piercing hard bark.
Most nests are cups of felted material, such as fur, hair and wood chips, but feathers are sometimes used.
Eggs varies from six to nine.

3 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of http://photo-natur.de/

Long-tailed Tit

Coal Tit

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Green Woodpecker

Group: Long-tailed Tits
Binomial: Aegithalos caudatus
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Aegithalidae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
Adult birds are predominatly pinkish-white
The longest tail of any British bird in relation to its body
Scientifically this is NOT in the same family as the Blue Tit and the Great Tit

4 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Barney Livingston

Willow Tit

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Green Woodpecker

Group: Tits
Binomial: Parus major
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paridae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
The largest of the UK tits
There is a prominent black stripe down the whole of the front
Widely distributed in the UK but not found on the Northern and Western Isles of Scotland

5 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Andrei Stroe

Willow Tit

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Green Woodpecker

Marsh Tit

Group: Woodpeckers
Binomial: Picus viridis
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
Spends much of its time feeding on ants on the ground.
The tongue is long (10 cm) and has to be curled around its skull.
'Yaffle' was an English folk name for this bird.

6 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Tom Tarrant (Aviceda)

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Coal Tit

Crested Tit

Group: Tits
Binomial: Parus ater
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paridae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
The smallest tit in the whole of Europe
Behaviour is similar to that of Blue tits but there is no blue in its plumage
The surest way to distinguish the bird from other tits is by the white patch on the back of its neck

7 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Mark Medcalf

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Crested Tit

Marsh Tit

Blue Tit

Group: Tits
Binomial: Parus cristatus
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paridae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
It is chiefly restricted to the ancient pinewoods of Inverness and Strathspey in Scotland, and seldom strays far from its haunts.
Although not shy, it is not always easily approached.

8 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Steffen Hannert

Coal Tit

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Crested Tit

Green Woodpecker

Group: Woodpeckers
Binomial: Dendrocopos major
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
It has a very distinctive bouncing flight.
The species has recently recolonized Ireland.
Spends most of its time clinging to tree trunks and branches.
Distinctive spring 'drumming' display.

9 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Stawek Staszczuk

Blue Tit

Crested Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Marsh Tit

Group: Tits
Binomial: Parus palustris
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paridae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
The global population includes between 6.1 million and 12 million birds in Europe alone.
Individual birds can have more than five songs, which they use interchangeably.
The call sounds like a ringing sneeze.

10 .

What is the name of this bird?

Photograph courtesy of Thermos

Long-tailed Tit

Crested Tit

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Willow Tit

Group: Woodpeckers
Binomial: Dendrocopos minor
Order: Piciformes
Family: Picidae
Status: Resident Breeding Species
From its small size and its habit of spending most of its time in the tops of tall trees in woods and parks, this bird is often overlooked, but if sighted on a trunk it may at once be identified by the broad barring on the wings.

Author: Sarah Garratty

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