Eurasian Penduline Tit Identification

The Eurasian Penduline Tit is smaller than the Bearded Reedling.

Its silhouette resembles that of a tit (its tail is shorter than the Bearded Reedling's).

The male has a gray head with a broad black mask, a reddish-brown back, and some spots on the chest.

The female has a gray head with a thinner black mask, a duller back, and no spots on the chest.

The juvenile has a beige-brown head and body, without a black mask.

It may also have a slight gray mask. Its bill is thinner and more pointed than the Bearded Reedling's.

The Eurasian Penduline Tit emits a soft whistling "tsiiiiu" that is very fine and descending. Its call is more elongated than that of the Reed Bunting.

Its song is simple, high-pitched, and soft. It consists of high-pitched calls and trills. It resembles the twittering of the European Greenfinch with clear and soft notes.

Its song can vary greatly. Here, we hear a call followed by a repeated song without trills.

The Eurasian Penduline Tit is skilled at climbing on the tips of thin branches, often hanging upside down.

Its light flight seems to "bounce".

The Eurasian Penduline Tit builds a purse-shaped nest with a tunnel entrance, at the end of a thin, hanging branch.

The whitish exterior is made of plant wool and fluffy seeds.

To place the nest, it chooses trees with thin branches like birch, willow, poplar, or alder.

Sometimes several nests are close together, but this species is not colonial. The male can build several nests.

When the female incubates, she chases the male away. He will find another female for whom he will build a second nest.

The Eurasian Penduline Tit feeds on insects and spiders during the warm season, especially during the breeding period.

In winter, it will feed on small seeds.

The Eurasian Penduline Tit lives in deciduous trees along watercourses and lakes.

It is migratory in the north of Europe…

And rather sedentary around the Mediterranean.

In recent decades, there has been a northwestward expansion in Europe.