Callum Macgregor

A small passerine, which feeds chiefly on insects and spiders, but also fruits and seeds outside the breeding season. Nominate caeruleus: continental Europe to N Spain, N Turkey and N Urals; obscurus: British Isles; balearicus: Balearic Islands; satunini: Crimean peninsula, Caucasus, Transcaucasia to E Turkey; orientalis: S European Russia; ogliastrae: Iberian peninsula, Corsica and Sardinia; calamensis: S Greece, Crete and Rhodes; raddei: N Iran; persicus: SW Iran. Found in any habitat with trees, but prefers open (oak) stands. Largely resident, with irregular irruptive movements to W and S.

Season of assessment

B

Population trendIncreasing
Population size
(min-max, best estimate)		59700000-95100000,73400000
Red List categoryLC
Franks, S., Fiedler, W., Arizaga, J., Jiguet, F., Nikolov, B., van der Jeugd, Ambrosini, R, Aizpurua, O., Bairlein, F., Clark, J., Fattorini, N, Hammond, M., Higgins, D, Levering, H., Skellorn, W., Spina, F, Thorup, K. Walker, J., Woodward, I. and Baillie, S.R. (1) (2022) Online Atlas of the movements of European bird populations. https://migrationatlas.org EURING/CMS (1) Principal investigator
Map

Overall Connectivity for Eurasian Blue Tit

Fennoscandinian birds mainly move N-S, but also E-W; most recoveries are within-countriy with huge hotspots at S migration points, increasing recently (Nilsson et al 2010). Finnish birds are found in the Baltic, Sweden, Norway (E Russia and Shetlands); Scandinavian birds - Denmark, Germany and Low Countries. UK birds move mainly N-S within the UK (a few to Ireland and W Europe). Birds from the Low Countries mainly move NNE-SSW, in Belgium also E-W, mostly within country, but also to France, Spain and Germany (UK). Birds in C Europe birds move NE-SW, mainly short distance, but many recoveries in the Low Countries and (S) France (Spain, Italy and the Balkans). E Europe birds move NE-SW; most are found in the Low Countries, also Denmark, C Europe, France (Spain and the Balkans).

Recoveries by Condition for Eurasian Blue Tit

Until 1960 67% of the recoveries were of dead birds but <2% were shot and <1% intentionally taken. From 1961 to 1990 21% of recoveries were of dead birds,almost all found dead with no explanation. Since 1991 almost all recoveries (~97%) have been recaptures by ringers. Most birds were shot in N Italy and S France, but also some in NW Europe and Spain and a few in Austria, S Scandinavia and the UK.

Annual Movements for Eurasian Blue Tit

In most parts of Europe, there are similar numbers of encounters year-round, hotspots are the UK, the Low Countries, C Europe, N Italy, S Norway and S Finland; also many in Spain and S Sweden, fewer in France. In Oct, numbers in France and SE Europe increase, decreasing in Apr. In some years, irruptive movements occur in Oct-Nov from E Europe or Fennoscandia to W and C Europe in relation to availability of beech mast (Nilsson et al 2010; Lukács et al 2015), but migration distance has decreased (Smallegange et al 2010).

Connectivity by Month by Region for Eurasian Blue Tit

Most Fennoscandian birds are found witihn country, many N of the breeding site. Norwegian/Swedish birds are found in Denmark (Oct-Mar), Swedish birds also in Germany and Lithuania (Oct-Nov) and Belgium (Oct); Finnish birds in Russia (Jan), Sweden and the Baltic States (Oct-Mar). UK birds mainly found in UK, S of breeding site; also in Ireland, Belgium (May, Apr, Oct), Germany (May) and France (Dec, Jan, Apr). In the Low Countries most move within country, SW of breeding site; also to France (most Nov-Jan, Mar, Apr), Spain (Oct-Feb), Germany (Mar-Apr), Norway (Sep) and UK (Oct-Mar). C and E European birds are found outside the breeding season in the Low Countries, France, Spain, UK, N Italy, Denmark and the Balkans.

Henk van der Jeugd

References

Statistics Map
N records N individuals N recoveries
Mapped data*
Total available data
*Mapped data include only distant (>= 50 km) recoveries
References Map
LUKÁCS, Z., Farkas, R., FRÜHWIRTH, A., GYURÁCZ, J.2015 . Autumn migration of blue tits (Parus caeruleus) at two Hungarian study sites. ORTH-WESTERN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY 11: 225–233
NILSSON, A.L.K., LINDSTRÖM, Å., JONZÉN, N., NILSSON, S.G. and KARLSSON, L.2006 . The effect of climate change on partial migration – the blue tit paradox. Global Change Biology 12 Link to Article (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2006.01237.x) : 2014–2020
Smallegange, I.M., Fiedler, W., Köppen, U., Geiter, O., Bairlein, F.2010 . Tits on the move: exploring the impact of environmental change on blue tit and great tit migration distance. Journal of Animal Ecology 79 Link to Article (DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2656.2009.01643.x) : 350–357

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