Blue Tits (1 Viewer)

pduxon

Quacked up Member

• Oct 20, 2003

• #1

ok I feel a bit stupid asking this but....

is there away of telling male & female apart? I know you can for Great Tits but is there for the blueys?

 

seb_seb

Well-known member

• Oct 21, 2003

• #2

I think the only visual way to tell is that the males are generally brighter colours. Or so ive heard....

 

J

jayhunter

Well-known member

• Oct 21, 2003

• #3

I think that is true for adult birds, but I feel that this years brood they seem almost identical, unless there is four of the same sex be it male or female.

 

E

Elizabeth Bigg

Addicted member

• Oct 21, 2003

• #4

Pete - having been able to study bluetits in the box pretty closely, my husband did come to some conclusion about this. It's somewhere on our website, but as this year's diary is pretty long, it might take a while to find the right place.

No - I can tell you right away - Malcolm has found a way of searching within a whole website via Google. Go to Feb 21st 2003, and this will also give a lead to further thoughts on the matter.

PS Just editing to add another date - Tues 4th June 2002. Pictures showing the difference in the head feathers.

 

Last edited: Oct 21, 2003

L

logos

Well-known member

• Oct 21, 2003

• #5

The best way is by looking at the width of the black on the sides of the neck, males have a significantly broader black area there. It is necessary to comapre birds in comparable postures of course as this area of the plumage is subject to some variation depending on whether the neck is stretched or hunched etc.

The crown patch, wing coverts and edges of the flight feathers are a deeper blue on males too.

Spud

 

IanF

Moderator

• Oct 21, 2003

• #6

I'd agree with spud.

For a couple of years we have had nesting Blue Tits in a camera monitored bird box. When you see a pair in the box together the differences are obvious. The male is much more boldly marked than the female. Of course during the breeding season, the female spends much longer periods in the box and progressively gets more tatty plumage with all of the sitting.

 

Jane Turner

Well-known member

• Oct 27, 2003

• #7

In addition the points mentioned above. If you get them side by side the males are actually bigger

 

M

Mike D

Hare today - gone tomorrow!

• Oct 27, 2003

• #8

Pete,
Wait until breeding season - to me that's the only way unless you have both birds together and both keeping fairly still. Even then - weeeellllll - can't be sure!

 

D

Dawn Balmer

Well-known member

• Oct 28, 2003

• #9

Sexing Blue Tits, even in the hand when trapped for ringing, can be really difficult. Outside the breeding season, the most reliable method is the wing length and even then there is a lot of overlap and only extremes can be reliably sexed. Generally males are brighter than females, but sometimes you get a really bright bird and think it ought to be a male but then it has a wing lenght within the female range. Then I give up trying to sex Blue Tits! In the breeding season, you can use the presence of a brood patch (females) and cloacal protuberance (males) to sex the birds.

Hope this helps.

Dawn