Great tits are prominent singers in the early months of the year. Their song is known as “belling”, and its two-note sawing sound seems perfectly designed to ring and echo through bare winter branches.
There are a lot of intriguing variations to that simple song, both between birds and from the same individual at different times. I’ve put together a half dozen clips to illustrate.
The species is one of the most studied in the world, thanks to decades of research by the Edward Grey Institute into the lives and habits of great tits in Witham Woods near Oxford. I think there’s a study somewhere about how they learn and build up their songs – must get my thinking cap on and delve into it…
Leave a Reply