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Description:
Easily recognizable by its very long tail, the Long-tailed Tit is far from a solitary species, both with its own kind and with other species: in winter, in fact, being closely related to the tits, it can be seen moving among the trees in "mixed" groups. During the breeding season, pairs help each other build the highly elaborate nest, and if a pair loses its brood, it immediately goes to the "relatives'" nest to help care for their chicks. Just 15 cm long—including the very long tail, which alone reaches 7-9 cm—the Long-tailed Tit is a small passerine. Its plumage is black and brown on the back, whitish on the belly, with reddish flanks. It shows a sort of "white crown" around the head. It moves with short flights from bush to bush, inspecting every twig and strip of bark in search of the insects it feeds on. In winter, the plumage becomes thicker to protect from the cold the individuals that move in groups of 5-18 and supplement their diet with berries and seeds. These winter flocks are territorial and actively defend a common area of about twenty hectares. Inside are dormitories, watering places, and various feeding zones patrolled daily along fixed routes. With spring's arrival, the group gradually breaks up, forming pairs that settle in different parts of the common territory to build a large "ball" of mosses and lichens held together by spider webs used as "cement." Inside, thick feather padding ensures necessary warmth and protection. For the nest, it chooses elderberry, hazel, and blackberry bushes. It lays 6 to 12 eggs between March and May, completing one brood per year, rarely two. An adult usually does not live beyond 8 years. The species is present in almost all of Europe—except Iceland, Scandinavia, northern Russia, and Ukraine—with various subspecies (in Italy, Aegithalos c. italiae and Aegithalos c. siculus in Sicily). It adapts to very different environments as long as the tree cover is semi-open and not extensive. It frequents forest edges and small woods, wooded clearings with shrubs, tree crops, gardens, parks, and orchards. It prefers broadleaves and mixed formations. It is also found in tall maquis areas near wet and marshy zones with dense growth of willows and black alder, in riparian willow groves, and willow-poplar associations. The Long-tailed Tit prefers feeding on trees, except in spring when it also goes to bushes.
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Video length: 05:28
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