Poecile palustris
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The marsh tit (Poecile palustris) is a Eurasian passerine bird in the tit family Paridae and genus Poecile, closely related to the willow tit, Père David's and Songar tits. It is a small bird, around 12 cm (4.7 in) long and weighing 12 g (0.42 oz), with a black crown and nape, pale cheeks, brown back and greyish-brown wings and tail. Between 8 and 11 subspecies are recognised. Its close resemblance to the willow tit can cause identification problems, especially in the United Kingdom where the local subspecies of the two are very similar; they were not recognised as separate species until 1897.
Globally, the marsh tit is classified as Least Concern, although there is evidence of a decline in numbers (in the UK, numbers have dropped by more than 50% since the 1970s, for example). It can be found throughout temperate Europe and northern Asia and, despite its name, it occurs in a range of habitats including dry woodland. The marsh tit is omnivorous; its food includes caterpillars, spiders and seeds. It nests in tree holes, choosing existing hollows to enlarge, rather than excavating its own. A clutch of 5–9 eggs is laid.
The marsh tit was formally described... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 2 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 4 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Gauja National Park | 🇱🇻 Latvia | |
| 9 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 11 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 12 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 13 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 15 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 16 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 17 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Marsh Tit sighting in Paris on a given day, based on 432 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 139 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July to April
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Marsh Tit in Paris on a given day, against under 5% in May and June, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Marsh Tit sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
12th of 38
Of the 38 cities where we can rate Marsh Tit sightings, Paris ranks 12th at about 10%. The best odds are in Sapporo (Japan, about 70%), Seoul (South Korea, about 70%) and Beijing (China, about 70%).
Same family: Paridae
The closest relatives of the Marsh Tit that you can see in Paris (family Paridae, Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice) are Great Tit (about 80%), Blue Tit (about 80%) and Crested Tit (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Marsh Tit is recorded against all the birds logged in Paris (432 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
