Willow Tit

Poecile montana

Rare residents of 8,000 pairs & rapidly declining in some parts of Britain.

Absent from Ireland.

Also breeds in mainland Europe.

Adults have a large head, a thin bill, a long dull black cap that descends to the mantle and a black bib.

The sides of the face are white, the back is grey-brown and the underparts are buff.

The sexes are similar in appearance.

The commonest call is a nasal zee, zee, zee, but the notes of the bird evidently vary considerably.

Occasionally a double note, ipsee, ipsee, is repeated four or five times.