Press Releases - Nov/Dec 2005 - Item 14

No. 2005/12/49
December 2005

Winter trip for a Kent Great Tit

The British Trust for Ornithology has just heard of an interesting movement of a local Kent Great Tit. We’re all familiar with Great Tits, the colourful visitors to garden peanut feeders. Well there’s more to them than meets the eye!
Since the 1960’s, Great Tits have been slowly getting bolder and bolder, moving further and further from home.

Average distance moved by ringed Great Tits over the decades

It is very rare for a Great Tit to travel over 100km, but the BTO has been receiving an increasing number of reports of such long-distance journeys. The most recent movement was of a young female bird ringed in November 2003 in Whitstable, Kent, by local ringer Jan Pritchard. Who knows where this bird went to in the meantime, but in November 2005 it was found in The Netherlands after hitting a window in Schalkhaar! This is an impressive 371km from Whitstable! Great Tits really aren’t built for migration, but this bird obviously broke the rules! Thankfully it survived its crash, and was released back into the wild, so may yet be back in Kent!

This is only the fifth time a Great Tit ringed in Britain has been found in The Netherlands, with the last being way back in 1979! British ringed Great Tits have ventured further east than this though, with a female bird from Essex being caught by ringers in Lithuania in 1977. Since then, another female originally ringed in Kalingrad, Russia in September 1999 was caught by ringers in Cleveland in February 2000. Is it something about females …?

Notes for Editors

1) The BTO is the UK’s leading bird research organisation. Over thirty thousand birdwatchers contribute to the BTO’s surveys. They collect information that forms the basis of conservation action in the UK. The BTO maintains a staff of 100 at its offices in Norfolk and Stirling, who analyse and publicise the results of project work.

2) Over 2,000 trained ringers, most of who are volunteers; ring around 750,000 birds each year. On average, less than one out of every fifty birds ringed is subsequently reported to the BTO, so every report of a ringed bird is of value. To report a ringed bird, phone 01842 750050, write to Ringing Unit, BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU or log on to www.ring.ac

3) The volunteer ringers give freely of their time and expertise and also provide a substantial part of the scheme’s funding. Part of the BTO Ringing Scheme is funded by a partnership of the BTO and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (on behalf of English Nature, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales, and also on behalf of the Environment and Heritage Service in Northern Ireland). The scheme also receives support from Duchas the Heritage Service – National Parks and Wildlife (Ireland).

4) The skills necessary to become a ringer can only be learnt by practice under the close supervision of experienced ringers. For this reason, ringers undertake a period of training of at least one or two years, during which they are only allowed to ring birds under supervision.

5) Photographs are available for use along side this article, contact

6) The BTO has an ISDN line available for radio interviews.

For further information please contact:

Mark Grantham on 01842 750050 or e-mail: during office hours
Martin Fowlie on 01842 750050 or e-mail: during office hours

Back to Index of 2005 Press Releases

Next 2005 Press Release