Coal Tit Periparus ater
(aka Parus ater)

Coal Tit, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2003- click for larger image

Edinburgh & Kingussie, Scotland and Cheli La, Bhutan

The Coal Tit is distributed throughout most of Europe and into most of Asia. See the distribution map at Birdlife International. It is normally found in conifer woodland where spruce seeds are a favourite food but it is also found in mixed forest and woodland.

Coal Tit, Edinburgh, Scotland, December 2003- click for larger image It is slightly smaller than a Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus with a shorter tail. Its principal features are the black head with white cheeks and white nape patch and the two white wing-bars. British birds are olive-grey on the upperparts though this colour varies in other parts of its range.

Apart from seeds it eats insects and spiders.

Coal Tit, Edinburgh, Scotland, February 2004 - click for larger image Photos 5 and 6 were taken in Bhutan and are of the subspecies P. a. aemodius. My first reaction when I saw it was that it was a new species for me. The large crest and large white patch on the nape quite confused me from linking this bird with the Coal Tits of Scotland but it is the same species.
Coal Tit, Edinburgh, Scotland, March 2005 - click for larger image
Coal Tit, Cheli La, Bhutan, March 2008 - click for larger image There is additional information on Avibase.
Coal Tit, Cheli La, Bhutan, March 2008 - click for larger image
Coal Tit, Kingussie, Scotland, June 2012 - click for larger image
Coal Tit, Kingussie, Scotland, June 2012 - click for larger image
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