Blue tit life cycle
February to April:
Male and females blue tits start pairing up in the spring, and both sexes scope out potential nest sites, while fattening up as much as possible before the breeding season official starts.
Male and females blue tits start pairing up in the spring, and both sexes scope out potential nest sites, while fattening up as much as possible before the breeding season official starts.
April to May:
Once a nest site has been selected, the female will start to build her nest. She usually starts with a base of moss, then adds some grass before finally creating a cup lined with feathers and hair.
Some birds have been known to add man made objects to their nest such as plastic string and even cigarette buts.
Most females will start building around the beginning of April, but the exact date varies with individuals and even with areas. Birds in the south of the UK can start building up to two weeks earlier than birds in the north of the UK.
When the female has finished her nest, she will start to lay her eggs, usually at a rate of one a day. In St Andrews the average is 8 eggs a nest and nationally it is 10 but there are reports of some nests having up to 16 eggs! Not all eggs in the nest though maybe from the same female, as often females will sneak into a neighbours nest and lay one or two. This ensures that even if her nest is predated, at least one of her offspring should survive.
The female will then sit on the eggs to incubate them for approximately 13 days. During this time she spends most of her time in the nest, and the male will bring her food.
Once a nest site has been selected, the female will start to build her nest. She usually starts with a base of moss, then adds some grass before finally creating a cup lined with feathers and hair.
Some birds have been known to add man made objects to their nest such as plastic string and even cigarette buts.
Most females will start building around the beginning of April, but the exact date varies with individuals and even with areas. Birds in the south of the UK can start building up to two weeks earlier than birds in the north of the UK.
When the female has finished her nest, she will start to lay her eggs, usually at a rate of one a day. In St Andrews the average is 8 eggs a nest and nationally it is 10 but there are reports of some nests having up to 16 eggs! Not all eggs in the nest though maybe from the same female, as often females will sneak into a neighbours nest and lay one or two. This ensures that even if her nest is predated, at least one of her offspring should survive.
The female will then sit on the eggs to incubate them for approximately 13 days. During this time she spends most of her time in the nest, and the male will bring her food.
May to June:
All the eggs will hatch at the same time. This is to ensure that no one individual begs the hardest and steals all the food. The time of hatching is crucial. It must synchronise with caterpillar hatching to ensure the parents can find enough food. The chicks can take up to 21 days before they fledge. During this time both the parents take on the role of feeding the chicks and removing any waste they produce.
Once the chicks are ready fledge the parents will start to call them from outside the nestbox. They try and entice the fledglings to come out and make it on their own. Once all the young have left the nestbox, they will remain with their parents for a few more weeks. The parents will still feed them occasionally while showing them the tricks of the trade until the young become fully independent.
All the eggs will hatch at the same time. This is to ensure that no one individual begs the hardest and steals all the food. The time of hatching is crucial. It must synchronise with caterpillar hatching to ensure the parents can find enough food. The chicks can take up to 21 days before they fledge. During this time both the parents take on the role of feeding the chicks and removing any waste they produce.
Once the chicks are ready fledge the parents will start to call them from outside the nestbox. They try and entice the fledglings to come out and make it on their own. Once all the young have left the nestbox, they will remain with their parents for a few more weeks. The parents will still feed them occasionally while showing them the tricks of the trade until the young become fully independent.
Summer to January:
During the summer months the fledglings and adults form flocks, often with other tit species. They change from their juvenile colouration to the distinguishable yellow and blue plumage. The flocks can move up to a kilometre from where they were born. As winter approaches and insect food becomes more scarce, blue tits will start to feed on seeds and nuts. Survival is harsh during the winter, and less than 1/3 of all juveniles make it to the next year. They are also heavily predated. If they survive into January, they continue to fatten up for the start of the breeding season.
During the summer months the fledglings and adults form flocks, often with other tit species. They change from their juvenile colouration to the distinguishable yellow and blue plumage. The flocks can move up to a kilometre from where they were born. As winter approaches and insect food becomes more scarce, blue tits will start to feed on seeds and nuts. Survival is harsh during the winter, and less than 1/3 of all juveniles make it to the next year. They are also heavily predated. If they survive into January, they continue to fatten up for the start of the breeding season.
Why use blue tits?
Blue tits are cavity builders and will readily nest in nestboxes proved by humans. For this reason alone they make a perfect study species to investigate nest building in as you can put nestboxes up around a study site and guarantee that the majority of them will be occupied year on year by blue tits. There are also many nestboxes out there that you can use, some with a small diameter which ensures that only blue tits (and possible the occassional coal tit) can fit. Asides from willingness to use nestboxes, blue tits also breed at high densities, to combat their high mortality, and do not travel far. We are then likely to see the same blue tits returning year on year to the same site, which is key when you want to look at individual differences. Blue tits are also an ideal study species as they pretty stubborn. As long as you are in and out within a few seconds you can check a nest daily without the parents abandoning it. Even during the nest building period.
If you want to know more about nest building in blue tits, and the research we are doing please visit our Research page.
Blue tits are cavity builders and will readily nest in nestboxes proved by humans. For this reason alone they make a perfect study species to investigate nest building in as you can put nestboxes up around a study site and guarantee that the majority of them will be occupied year on year by blue tits. There are also many nestboxes out there that you can use, some with a small diameter which ensures that only blue tits (and possible the occassional coal tit) can fit. Asides from willingness to use nestboxes, blue tits also breed at high densities, to combat their high mortality, and do not travel far. We are then likely to see the same blue tits returning year on year to the same site, which is key when you want to look at individual differences. Blue tits are also an ideal study species as they pretty stubborn. As long as you are in and out within a few seconds you can check a nest daily without the parents abandoning it. Even during the nest building period.
If you want to know more about nest building in blue tits, and the research we are doing please visit our Research page.