Coal Tit

Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Coal Tit, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

UK Birds of Conservation Concern	Green listed
Species of European Conservation Concern	Least Concern
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)	Least Concern
Schedule 1 license required (to disturb)	No
Birds Directive Annex 1	No
Listed on the Annexes of	WBD(I*), Bern(III)

While other common tit species have increased, the UK Coal Tit population has been rather stable since the mid 1970s, following earlier rapid increase. The ratios of Coal Tit to Blue and Great Tits caught for ringing have both shown a sustained increase since 1960 (Perrins 2003), however, although in these figures population change may be confounded to some degree with changes in behaviour among birds and bird ringers. The BBS map of change in relative density between 1994-96 and 2007-09 indicates that population change was fairly uniform across the UK over that period, but with stronger increases in Northern Ireland, the Scottish Borders and northeastern Scotland. However more recent BBS data show a subsequent shallow decrease in Scotland and perhaps also in Wales and Northern Ireland. The European trend is described as being a 'moderate decline'; however the trend graph suggests numbers have been broadly stable apart from a peak in the early 1990s, and the long-term change is calculated as +3% (PECBMS: PECBMS 2020a>).

UK breeding population

No population change in UK (1967–2022)

Coal Tits are most abundant in conifer plantations. Highest densities are recorded throughout Ireland, and in heavily forested areas in Scotland and Wales, and in localised pockets in England, particularly Thetford Forest and the New Forest. The most notable gaps in distribution occur on the highest ground in Scotland, the Northern Isles, some Hebridean islands and the Fens in eastern England.

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Occupied 10-km squares in UK

No. occupied in breeding season	2624
% occupied in breeding season	87
No. occupied in winter	2686
% occupied in winter	89

European Distribution Map

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2

Breeding Season Habitats

Most frequent in

Coniferous Wood

Relative frequency by habitat

Relative occurrence in different habitat types during the breeding season.

Modest range expansions and population increases have been linked to the spread of commercial softwood plantations and also the popularity of exotic evergreens in gardens.

Coal Tit is recorded throughout the year.

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report

Maximum Age from Ringing	9 years 2 months 25 days (set in 2008)
Typical Lifespan	2 years with breeding typically at 1 year
Adult Survival	0.43

Wing Length	Adults	60.3±1.7 | Range 58–63mm, N=14442
	Juveniles	60.1±1.6 | Range 58-63mm, N=14960
	Males	61.4±1.5 | Range 59–63.5mm, N=1768
	Females	59.1±1.3 | Range 57–61mm, N=1551

Body Weight	Adults	9.10±1.4 | Range 8.10–10.0g, N=11191
	Juveniles	9.00±1.5 | Range 8.10–10.0g, N=11517
	Males	9.20±0.6 | Range 8.30–10.0g, N=1395
	Females	9.00±0.7 | Range 8.00–10.2g, N=1210

Feather measurements and photos on featherbase

Ring size	A
Field Codes	2-letter: CT | 5-letter code: COATI | Euring: 14610

For information in another language (where available) click on a linked name

Causes of change

There is little good evidence available regarding the drivers of the breeding population change in this species in the UK.

Further information on causes of change

Information on the causes of change is sparse, though some effect of cold winters is evident in the 1960s and 1980s. Nest failure rate at the egg stage has declined in recent decades, and the laying date has advanced by almost two weeks, but there has been no change in nest productivity.

Information about conservation actions

The UK population has been relatively stable since the mid-1970s, hence the Coal Tit is not a species of concern and no conservation actions are currently required.

The drivers of change for this species are unknown and specific conservation actions that may benefit this species are uncertain. It may benefit from the increased provision of bird food in gardens and from other actions which support other woodland birds such as woodland management and the provision of nest boxes. However, the effect of these actions will not necessarily be positive for Coal Tits as they could also lead to increased Blue Tit and Great Tit populations, and hence greater levels of interspecific competition as these two species are both dominant over Coal Tits (Haftorn 1993).