Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...
A photo of a European Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus)
European Crested Tit

European Crested Tit

Lophophanes cristatus

The Crested Tit, or European Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus), presents a striking appearance with its prominent erectile crest, the tip of which may recurve elegantly. This small passerine bird is a member of the tit family, Paridae, and is easily distinguishable by its unique head plumage.

Identification Tips

This species can be identified by its distinctive crest and the black and white patterns on its head. The gorget and collar are also notable features, setting it apart from other tits. Its upperparts are predominantly grey-brown, while the underparts are paler.

Habitat

The Crested Tit favors coniferous forests as its primary habitat across central and northern Europe. It can also be found in deciduous woodlands in parts of France and the Iberian Peninsula.

Distribution

In Great Britain, the Crested Tit is mainly found in the ancient pinewoods of Inverness and Strathspey in Scotland. It is a resident bird, meaning it does not typically migrate, though a few vagrants have been spotted in England.

Behaviour

The Crested Tit is known for its talkative nature, often joining winter flocks with other tit species. It is not particularly shy, but despite its vocal tendencies, it may not always be easily approached.

Song & Calls

The Crested Tit's birdsong is a constant "zee, zee, zee," reminiscent of the Coal Tit's vocalizations, contributing to the forest's acoustic landscape.

Breeding

Nesting occurs in holes within rotting stumps, where this bird takes advantage of the forest's natural cavities for its reproductive activities.

Diet and Feeding

The diet of the Crested Tit consists of insects, including caterpillars, and seeds. It often forages low in trees, diligently searching for food among the branches.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List classifies the Crested Tit as Least Concern, indicating that, currently, there are no immediate threats to its population levels that would warrant a higher risk category.

European Crested Tit Sounds



Recorded by: © 
App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

European Crested Tits on Birda

Photos
Sightings

More Tits, Chickadees

A photo of a Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus)

Black-crested Titmouse

Baeolophus atricristatus
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
Madstherangers
A mordern game changer
Birda is an awesome app, its updated the world of birding to the modern day with a fun and easy to use app. It’s engaging and allows positive interaction with fellow bird lovers!
Trevarthen1
Birda fan
I really enjoy using Birda, all sightings are recorded and photos can be added. There are monthly challenges which help to get you out to record your sightings. The Birda community are great and are happy to help with unidentified bird sightings. Suitable for all ages and experience!
Bryan C
Clean and easy to use
Really enjoying this app, it's clean and easy to use. I love the ease of being able to add those one-off birds without starting a whole checklist. I also like the social aspect, like the parts of my Facebook I like, without the ads and junk, just birds. Can't wait to see it become more populated.
Sacha0508
Simply fantastic
I love this app, it puts so much fun into recording the birds I’ve seen and heard while I’m out and about. The interface is user-friendly and suitable for all ages. It’s great to collect badges and to review my “lists”.
Nick S
Work together with community
Been loving using this app to log my bird sightings and work together with community members to identify different birds. I've already learned a lot since I started about a month ago!
Louise L
Easy to use and accurate
Love this app. It is easy to use and accurate, Their backup communication is really good. I noted a missing species. All through the process, I was kept informed about the progress in correcting the information. I now have the corrected, updated version. 😁 Thanks!
Emma L
App got me interested in birding!
Super friendly community <3 This app got me interested in birding! It teaches me cool stuff and its super friendly, and fun :) The species guide is really developing my knowledge, and i love seeing cool new birds from round the world!
Talli A
My favourite app
As a young birdwatcher who was always keen to be apart of a community but never seemed to find one, my problem was solved downloading this!!! Everyone is so friendly and just as excited to see birds as me 😁
Pdydhdrexgi
Fantastic App
This is a really lovely app, for everyone interested in birds - from newbies to old hands. There is a very friendly feel to the community and you will genuinely learn a lot as you record your sightings and photos. There are lots of badges and competitions to keep you engaged, and a host of really useful features.
David C
Very knowledgeable group
Nice friendly birding community. Very knowledgeable group with a willingness to help.
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.