Distribution of the species
Common resident in Paggaio. The local breeding population is smaller than the 2% of the national population (estimated at 870,000–1,080,000 pairs). The conservation status of the local population, which is not isolated within its wider distribution range, is considered excellent. The species is widespread and is found in a variety of habitats in the area, showing however a greater preference for open oak forests, forest and open habitat ecotones, as well as for the low altitude agroforestry areas of Paggaio. The species is also observed in plantations, orchards, olive groves and even in parks or man-made habitats that include groups of trees or shrubs within the settlements of the study area.
Description of the species (biological and ecological features)
The largest tit. Beautiful bird with distinctive plumage. Black head with blue-black crown, black neck and upper breast, whitish cheeks, greenish upperparts, yellow underparts with black central stripe. The brightness of yellow in the breast area is correlated with the quality and robustness of males. Useful for agriculture, as they remove large quantities of caterpillars from arboriculture to feed their young. Clever birds, use tools to feed. The use of pine needles to remove insect larvae from tree holes has been observed. It is also the only songbird that pierces bats’ heads in hibernation and consumes their brains.
Resident in the area. A forest species, lives in all types of forests but prefers open deciduous forests. In dense forests, deciduous, coniferous or mixed, prefers clearings. It is also common in urban parks and gardens, especially in winter. It nests mainly in tree holes, but also in artificial nests (wooden boxes) and wherever there is a suitable entrance, such as walls, vertical rocks, mailboxes, pitchers, ventilators. It feeds mainly on insects and spiders that it catches in tree foliage. Its diet includes locusts, ants, beetles, aphids, lice, flies, bees and wasps. In autumn and winter, when insects are rare, it feeds on berries and seeds that it finds in bushes, but even on the ground, in mixed flocks mainly with other tits. It is able to hold a tough nut, such as a hazelnut, with its feet, breaking it with continuous blows of his beak for 20 minutes!
The species does not face serious threats. Rising temperatures due to climate change, especially in the spring, can lead to a mismatch between food availability and chick requirements, affecting reproductive success in some areas.
Conservation status
Least Concern.
Conservation state
Protected under the Bern Convention (Appendix II). Listed as Least Concern in Greece and in Europe, by the Greek Red Data Book and the IUCN correspondingly. Not included in a SPEC category (European species of conservation concern) by BirdLife International.