No.046 · Birds · Rare
Bearded tit
Panurus biarmicus
A tawny, long-tailed reedbed specialist with a pinging call. Easiest to see on calm autumn days.
When to look
April to December, mostly at dawn and day.
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Time of day
- Dawn
- Day
- Dusk
- Night
- Best time
- Calm mornings, especially October–November.
- Where in the game
- the Norfolk Broads (reedbed)
- Size
- Length about 12 cm (Wildlife Trusts)
- Wingspan
- About 17 cm (Wildlife Trusts)
- Weight
- About 15 g (BTO)
- Lifespan
- Oldest ringed bird 7 years 3 months (BTO)
- Population
- About 695 breeding pairs (BTO, 2013–17)
- Status
- Green (Birds of Conservation Concern 5, 2021)
Diet
Insects in summer; reed seeds in winter
Habitat
Dense reedbeds
Breeding
Typically 1–2 broods a year, 4–8 eggs (BTO); incubation 10–14 days by both sexes; young fledge at 12–13 days.
Field signs
- A metallic, pinging contact call from within the reeds
- Cinnamon birds with long tails whirring low above the reed tops in autumn group flights
- Males have black 'moustaches' rather than beards
- Birds picking up grit on paths and grit trays in autumn
Did you know?
- They switch from insects to reed seeds in autumn and take grit to help digest them (BTO).
- Males have black 'moustaches' rather than beards (RSPB).
- Also called the reedling, it is neither a tit nor bearded, and sits in its own family (RSPB).
Moments worth waiting for
- Autumn group flight
A party of bearded tits pings up above the reeds and flops down again. - Taking grit
They fluff and scuttle over a sandy path, picking up grit.
Photo tip
Choose a calm, bright morning in October–November, settle by a reedbed edge or grit tray and listen for the pinging call. Use 400–500 mm and 1/1600 s to freeze the whirring flight, and stay on the path.
Be a good naturalist
Schedule 1 species: do not disturb nests or use playback. Stay on paths, don't push into reed to get closer, and don't flush groups to make them fly.
The law
Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.