Long-tailed Tit: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Garden Birds of Europe · day 3 of 7

Five facts

1. Its nest is a soft, stretchy bag built from over 6,000 pieces. Moss leaves act as hooks and spider silk as loops, like natural velcro.
2. Inside, the nest is padded with more than 2,000 downy feathers. Outside, hundreds of pale lichen flakes help hide it.
3. If a pair loses its nest, the two birds may go and help raise chicks at the nest of a relative. One study found helpers at about 50% of nests.
4. In winter, families band together in small flocks that defend a territory. Huddling side by side helps them survive cold nights.
5. A flock keeps up a constant chatter of calls, so you often hear it before you see it. The calls speed up when a bird gets left behind.

The quiz

1. Which two materials hold the long-tailed tit's nest together like velcro?

• Mud and grass
• Twigs and hair
• Moss and spider silk (correct)
• Bark and pine needles

Moss leaves hook onto loops of spider silk.

2. How many feathers can line the inside of one nest?

• More than 2,000 (correct)
• About 20
• About 200
• None, it uses only moss

Its nest is padded inside with over 2,000 soft feathers.

3. What may a pair do after losing its nest late in the season?

• Steal another pair's nest
• Fly to Africa
• Leave the flock for good
• Help a relative raise chicks (correct)

Failed breeders often become helpers at a related pair's nest.

4. Why do long-tailed tits stay in flocks in winter?

• To migrate across the sea
• To huddle on cold nights (correct)
• To build one giant nest
• To hunt fish together

Huddling helps these small birds survive cold nights.

5. When do a flock's calls become faster and louder?

• When a bird gets separated (correct)
• Only at midnight
• When they find water
• When they start sleeping

Calls speed up when a bird is separated or the flock crosses open ground.

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