Photo: PeterRohrbeck / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Great Tit
Parus major
Great Tit (Parus major) — Songbirds & Perching Birds of Europe & Northern Asia.
Found across 10 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Great Tit (Parus major) is a member of the Paridae family found in Europe & Northern Asia. Adults weigh 16.2 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Passeriformes
- Family Paridae Tits, Chickadees
- Genus Parus
- Species major
Quick facts
- Weight
- 16.2 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Paridae
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Great Tit is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of semi-open woodland, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.
Migration
The Great Tit is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Great Tit (Parus major) is a species of bird in the Paridae family, part of the order Passeriformes. It is found across Europe & Northern Asia. Its distribution covers PAL w, c EurAsia and n Africa.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 16.2 g, with a wing length of about 7.4 cm and a tail of around 6.5 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 32.6 million km² — a very large global range.
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Great Tit?
The Great Tit is a small bird that weighs around 16.2 g.
Where does the Great Tit live?
The Great Tit is found across Europe & Northern Asia with a range covering PAL w, c EurAsia and n Africa, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Great Tit belong to?
The Great Tit (Parus major) belongs to the Paridae family, in the order Passeriformes.
What does the Great Tit eat?
The Great Tit is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Great Tit migrate?
The Great Tit is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Great Tit endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Great Tit make?
1 real field recording of the Great Tit — including its song — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Great Tit's range?
The Great Tit has a mapped global range of about 32.6 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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Guides for this bird
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