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Marsh tit

©Margaret Holland

Marsh tit

Despite its name, the marsh tit actually lives in woodland and parks in England and Wales. It is very similar to the willow tit, but has a glossier black cap and a 'pitchoo' call that sounds like a sneeze!

Scientific name

Poecile palustris

When to see

January to December

Species information

Category

Statistics

Length: 13cm
Wingspan: 22cm
Weight: 13g
Average lifespan: 2 years

Conservation status

Classified in the UK as Red under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021). Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework.

About

The marsh tit is a small, mainly brown bird, with a shiny black cap, neat black bib and pale belly. It is so similar to the willow tit that ornithologists took a while to realise that they were two separate species. The willow tit was not officially described as a new species until 1827, then it took another 70 years for them to realise that both marsh tits and willow tits lived in Britain! Before 1897, willow tits in Britain had been misidentified as marsh tits.

Despite their name, marsh tits are most often found in broadleaf woodland, copses, parks and gardens. They feed mostly on insects, seeds and berries, and often cache food over winter if they find a good supply. They nest in existing tree holes, rather than excavating their own, and produce seven to nine eggs.

How to identify

There are a few features which help distinguish marsh and willow tit: marsh tit have a glossier black cap and a neater bib under the chin; they have a pale 'cutting' edge to their beaks which can be seen up close; and they produce a 'pitchoo' call, which sounds a bit like a sneeze.

Distribution

Widespread in England and Wales.

Did you know?

In 2025, scientists reported the first genetically confirmed hybridisation in the wild between a marsh tit and a willow tit. It was a bird visiting a birdfeeder in Norway in 2020. Two feathers were collected from the bird and analysed. They revealed that it was a male, born that year, with a marsh tit mother and a willow tit father. Hybrids had been reported in the past based on plumage features, calls and observations of mixed species pairs, but this was the believed to be the first time it was confirmed with genetic evidence.