Crested Tit of Britain

Crested Tits ( Lophophanes cristatus) are notoriously elusive birds who can only be found in the Highlands of Scotland. They are some of Scotland's most endearing and hyperactive birds who have happily increased in numbers in recent years.

Crested Tits are easily recognised by the lack of colour in their plumage as well as the distinctive black and white crest on their heads. The crests are often referred to as “Mohican tufts”.

Adults start breeding when they are 1 year of age. The typical lifespan of the Crested Tit is 2 years.

Crested Tits are resident birds that only live and breed in conifers and pine trees of the ancient Caledonian pine forests of Scotland. A few are found in mixed woodland.

Scots Pine is a habitat requirement as they attract Crested Tits more than any other species of tree.

Most of the population inhabit Speyside and in Inverness. Adults rarely move more than a kilometre, or less than a mile, from the areas when they were hatched.

A few sometimes move to feeders in gardens in the winter where they generally ignore humans.

Crested Tits are much more common among the coniferous forests in central and northern Europe. They prefer Scots Pine but also live happily among deciduous trees in woodland environments. However, Crested Tits in Britain only live in woods and forests where Scots Pine is available.

Scottish Crested Tits are pine specialist who share the same acrobatic characteristics as other members of the tit family. Foraging takes place by clinging to the trunks of trees and hanging upside-down on twigs.

Heather is another essential habitat requirement as they also feed on the ground, particularly during the winter.

The main diet of Crested Tits consists of insects, spiders, seeds and berries. The seeds of pines are particularly favoured in the winter. Food is hidden during the early winter and retrieved later as a store.

They are sociable birds who join flocks of small birds that roam around woodland during the autumn and winter months.

The breeding season is between March and June. Pairs are monogamous and form life-long bonds. They make their nests in the hollows and branches of dead trees. Nest boxes are regularly used.

The female excavates and removes the bark from an old tree. The nest is made of lichens, feathers, moss or other soft material.

Five or six eggs are laid in April and take between 13 and 16 days to hatch. The young learn to fly after 20 or 25 days. Both parents look after the young who raised 1 or 2 broods a year.

The young are able to fly from late May onwards although they rarely travel far. 

The Crested Tit is a green-listed species of bird in Britain. They were moved from amber-listed species of bird to the green list in 2015 because of “improvements” in their population.

The current population is small with only 1000 and 2000 pairs breeding in the UK. However, there has been a small range expansion in recent years.

The Crested tit is classified as of Least Concern by IUCN.

Europe holds over 95% of the population. The population of Crested Tits has undergone a “moderate decline” between 1980 and 2013.

The main threats experienced by Crested Tits are cold winters and loss of their woodland habitat.

For more information on the Blue Tit of the UK and Ireland, please visit
http://bird4u.mzzhost.com/bird_bluetit.html

Interesting Articles

BTO – Song of the Crested Tit - https://twitter.com/_BTO/status/1090344524617076737
RSPB -
https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/scotland/posts/five-facts-about-crested-tits

Common Buzzard of Britain and Ireland

The Buzzard (Buteo buteo) has recently become the commonest and most widespread bird of prey in Britain. Their population has rapidly increased over the last twenty years, particularly in England. Buzzards became extinct in Ireland until a breeding pair was reported in 1933. The population of Irish Buzzards has also increased and are now found in most counties in Ireland.

Other names for the buzzard are the Common Buzzard and Eurasian Buzzard.

Buzzards are medium-sized birds of prey with wingspans reaching up to between 113 and 128 centimetres, or between 3.7 and 4.2 feet. Males and females are alike although females have larger talons and beaks.

Adults start breeding when they are three years old. The average lifespan of the Buzzard is 12 years.

Pairs of Buzzards live and breed on their territories in a wide variety of habitats throughout the year. They are normally found in woodland, moors, heaths, farmland, bogs, marshes.

Villages are some of their typical haunts although they are now regularly seen near large cities such as Glasgow.

Pairs remain on their territories throughout the year and seldom move more than 100 kilometres or 62 miles, Hunting often takes place outside their territory along the edges of forests or on open land.

The main prey of the Buzzard are  voles, mice, rats, moles, rabbits and hares. They are generalists who also eat young birds such as pigeons and crows, earthworms, amphibians, large insects and carrion such as roadkill.

A great deal of their time is spent perched on trees or poles so they can swoop down on their prey. Buzzards make a cat-like “peee-uu” sound which can be heard during the year.

Buzzards have been resident in every county in Britain since the 1990s. The strongholds of the Buzzard are Scotland, Wales, the Lake District and south-west England. Their range has extended from Lincolnshire, East Anglia and down to Kent since 1991.

The population of Buzzards has increased significantly in Northern Ireland since 1995 according to the British Trust for Ornithology.

The Raptor Study Group in Ireland said “For a bird which became extinct in 1891 in Ireland and only began breeding again on Rathlin in 1933, its current breeding status is remarkable.

Buzzards were “believed to be currently breeding in 18 counties across Ireland with the expectation that it will eventually re-colonise every county in the future
(Irish News - https://www.irishnews.com/…/buzzard-s-eerie-cries-lighten-…/).

Pairs form lifelong bonds and begin breeding between April and May. They normally re-use an old nest in a tree on the edge of woods, a cliff or rocky crag.

Both the male and female make an untidy nest of branches and lined with soft material such as twigs, heather and bracken.

Two to three eggs are laid in April which hatch after 34 days. The chicks learn to fly after 44 to 52 days. The young are cared for by the parents for another 40 days when they become independent.

Sadly, most young buzzards die of starvation before reaching adulthood.

The Common Buzzard is classified as of Least Concern by IUCN.

Europe holds approximately 75% of the global population. Their numbers in Europe are stable according to Birdlife International.

The Buzzard is a green-listed species of bird in Britain.

Buzzards were common birds of prey across Britain until the nineteenth century. However, persecution by gamekeepers reduced the population to 1000 birds by the 1900s. They were only found in the western areas of Britain by the beginning of the twentieth century.

The number of Buzzard rose during the First and Second World Wars as killing birds of prey was made illegal.

The population of Buzzards was thought to be 10,000 by the mid-1960s.

The use of organochlorine pesticides caused a fall in the number of Buzzards between the 1950s and 1960s. Their food supply was also reduced during this time as myxomatosis killed over 90% of Britain's rabbit population.

The number of Buzzards increased rapidly during the 1990s with an estimated 68,000 pairs in Britain by 2013. Their numbers increased because of less persecution and banning of harmful pesticides.

The population increased rapidly in England by 2009 according to the British Trust for Ornithology. There was a range expansion in central and eastern Britain, making the Buzzard “the most abundant diurnal raptor in Britain”.

The charity also stated there was a “widespread rapid increase across Europe since 1980” (BTO - https://www.bto.org/birdtrends2010/wcrbuzza.shtml ).

Some of the main threats to Buzzards are human interference when nesting and ongoing persecution from gamekeepers.

Bird charities were concerned when Natural England issued a licence to a gamekeeper to kill 10 Buzzards. The gamekeeper believed Buzzards threatened his pheasant farm. They objected to issuing more licences by Natural England.

“Raptor persecution... is difficult to police, difficult to prove and even more difficult to punish” (Wildlife Articles - http://wildlifearticles.co.uk/when-business-is-a-buzzard/ ).

For more information on the Peregrine Falcon of Britain and Ireland, please visit http://bird4u.mzzhost.com/bird_per.html

Interesting Articles
BBC - https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35916515Co