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Membership builds our community and gives us a predictable income, which lets us plan and sustain longer projects that can have a greater impact. The more members we have, the more we can do to protect the Sussex countryside and coast.
Overview
The Bearded Tit is a small bird with a long tail that is mainly found in large reedbeds where it feeds on insects and reed seeds.
It builds its nest low down among the reeds, often on piles of dead reed stems. Bearded tits can be heard calling with a nasal ‘ting’ or ‘ping’ sound as they fly about the reeds.
Facts
- How to identify
The Bearded Tit is cinnamon-brown with a long, brown tail. It has a grey head with a black ‘moustache’ (rather than a beard) and a yellow bill and eyes. Females are less colourful than males, and do not have the moustache. - Did you know
The Bearded Tit is also known as ‘bearded reedling’ or ‘bearded parrotbill’. In fact, it is not actually a tit or parrotbill, but has now been assigned to its own family. - Key stats
Length: 12cm
Wingspan: 17cm
Weight: 15g
Average lifespan: 3 years
Status
Classified in the UK as Green under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021). Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.
Seasonality
January to December
