Bird guide · Parus major
Great Tit
What the great tit eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from across the UK.
- Season
- Year-round resident
- Size
- 5.5 in (14 cm)
- Eats
- sunflower hearts, peanuts, suet
- Feeds
- tube, hopper, suet cage
- Most common
- England, Northern Ireland, Wales
Food
What do great tits eat?
At feeders, great tits take sunflower hearts, peanuts, suet, seed mixes.
Can be quite aggressive at a bird table, fighting off smaller tits.
Feeder that suits it
A tube or hopper feeder with sunflower seed or sunflower hearts.
Range
Where do great tits live?
Widespread across Britain and Ireland except some islands in northern and western Scotland. By share of all bird sightings, great tits are most common in England (2.2%).
Nations where great tits are most common
- England2.2%
- Northern Ireland2.0%
- Wales1.9%
- Scotland1.5%
Share of all bird sightings in each nation that are great tits, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the great tit migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the UK it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in February.
Share of all bird sightings in the UK that are great tits, by month.
Identification
How to identify the great tit
Adults: Glossy black head with white cheeks, bluish-green back and yellow breast split by a black stripe.
Size: 5.5 in (14 cm)
Nesting
Does the great tit use nest boxes?
Yes. Takes readily to nest boxes (BTO).
On camera
Getting the great tit on a feeder camera
Any seed camera feeder works. Hang it near shrubs for cover, about five feet off the ground, with the lens facing away from direct sun.
Questions
Great Tit: questions
What do great tits eat?
At feeders, sunflower hearts, peanuts, suet, seed mixes.
Do great tits migrate?
Year-round resident. Across the UK it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in February.
Where do great tits live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland.