Appearance
This small representative of the genus of the Tit family has a body length of up to 12 centimeters with a weight of only 15 grams. The upper part of the body is painted in a grayish-brown color, which flows down to the bottom into a lighter shade. The sides of the bird are more brownish. The color of the wings and tail is uniformly brown.
A notable feature of the black-headed tit is the characteristic color of the head. The entire head area up to the eye line is represented by a contrasting black cap with a shiny sheen, which gradually tapers to the base of the neck area. There is a small dark spot under the beak. The beak itself is black with a gray edging of the beak. Feet have a bluish-gray tint. You can distinguish a young chick from an adult bird by the nature of the coloration of the feathers. Chicks are painted in mostly light shades, and the cap on the head is dull and dull. Some representatives of the black-headed tit, which inhabit the territory of the western Caucasus, have a longer tail and a large number of gray tones in the plumage.
In appearance, the black-headed gait has many similarities with the brown-headed gait by the powder. The difference lies in a number of basic features, namely in the proportionality of the head and body, the color of the cap and the monochromatic brown color of the wings of the black-headed tit. By these main features, you can easily distinguish between the representatives of the genus chickweed.
Habitat
The population of the black-headed tit covers the forest zone of Eurasia. An isolated subspecies of the black-headed chickpea inhabited the territory of the Caucasus. A small part of the population of these birds is located in Western Siberia. Deciduous forests and thickets of poplars or bird cherry trees are preferred as habitats. They can settle in swampy lowlands. Some species are also found in dry gardens.
These birds are predominantly sedentary, but can fly over short distances.
Nutrition
The diet of black-headed tit is quite extensive and can include both small invertebrates and many plants. Most often, the bird prefers to eat various nuts, flowers and juicy fruits of many plants. If there is a birch or aspen in its habitat, then it feeds on the sap of these trees. By themselves, black-headed chicks are very thrifty birds. In the period from the end of summer, they are actively looking for food and hide it in various crevices and cracks.
Reproduction
The nesting period lasts from March to June. As a rule, the formed couples last throughout life. Hollows of old trees or empty burrows are preferred as places for laying eggs. The selected nest must be at least 3 meters above the ground. The female is mainly engaged in the search and arrangement of housing. In order to expand the territory of the selected nest, she pluck out pieces of wood from it. Then it lays up to 10 eggs with noticeable red dots in a furnished place. The brooding period lasts from 13 to 17 days. Both parents are engaged in feeding the hatched chicks. As a rule, little black-headed chicks stay in the nest for a little less than a month and another week after the first flight.
The voice of the black-headed gadget
Black-headed gadget – video
