..Great Tits..
The Great Tit is one of Irelands top 20 birds and is often spotted visiting peanut feeders. It is a bird of woodland preferring to make its nest in holes in trees but it will also take advantage of garden nest boxes. It is larger than the Blue Tit and has a black cap and stripe (like a tie) running down their front. The male can be distinguished from the female by the thickness of this strip which is more pronounced in the male. The most dominant males have the thickest black tie.
In the breeding season the male is territorial and its call, which sounds like 'teacher teacher' can be heard across Corkagh.
Great Tits feed on insects particularly when feeding their young but will also eat seeds and nuts and rely on these as a source of food during the winter months.
Unlike Blue Tits they can have two broods in a season. The female builds the nest and she will return to the same territory the following season if she successfully raised a brood there.
Outside of the breeding season Great Tits gather in flocks together with other Tits.
The Great Tit has been known to predate on larger animals like hibernating bats if food is scarce. They also remove the intestines of caterpillars before feeding them to their young and also snap off the head of larger insects making them easier for the young to digest.
The Great Tit has a powerful beak allowing it to even break open hazelnuts by repeatedly banging the shell against a branch.
