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Bird Identification

Identifying Garden Birds of the Paridae (Titmouse) Family

How to tell the blue tit, great tit, coal tit and marsh tit apart — a field guide for birdwatchers.

By Pussies & Tits · 9 min read

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A great tit bird with a yellow chest and black head perched on a mossy tree branch
Illustration: A great tit bird with a yellow chest and black head perched on a mossy tree branch. Not a tested product photograph.

The Great Tit (Parus major)

The largest European tit, with a glossy black head, white cheeks and a yellow breast divided by a bold black stripe.

The Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)

A small, colorful songbird with a bright blue cap, white face and yellow underparts. Common at garden feeders.

Coal Tit and Marsh Tit

The coal tit has a white nape patch; the marsh tit has a plain glossy black cap and no nape patch.