Crested tit

Lophophanes cristatus

Crested Tit

Crested tits are not found in Rannoch, yet Rannoch has an entirely suitable habitat in the form of the Black Wood of Rannoch with its large and ancient ‘granny’ pines.

The epicentre of the British Crested tit population is the Cairngorms - the Rothiemurchus and Abernethy forests. The RSPB reserve at Loch Garten has bird feeders where Crested tits can be seen fairly reliably. Here, in summer, there is also a population of photographers with telephoto lenses jostling to get a great photo of a Crested tit. Crested tits regularly visit garden feeders in Boat of Garten.

The preferred habitat is the ancient remnants of Scots pine forest but they will breed in plantations. I have seen Crested tits at Loch Garten, near Loch Morlich and in Spain where they were in Corsican pines.

Scottish Crested tits are sedentary and so although the Black Wood seems ideal for them they don’t seem to find it. It may be that when the Scottish Caledonian pine forest was in existence Crested tits could be found throughout the forest’s range and therefore also in the Black Wood of Rannoch since it was part of the countrywide forest. There are now large treeless tracts of land between the Cairngorms and Rannoch and perhaps crested tits will not cross such terrain. Whatever the reason they are absent now from Rannoch. The recent spurt of tree planting may yet allow Crested tits out of their stronghold to colonise other areas. The Heart of Scotland Forest project is designed to create arboreal corridors along which Crested tits might potentially move.

They are found right across Europe and these populations are rather more mobile than the Scottish ones. The Scottish population is isolated from the European one and has evolved into a sub-species - Lohophanes cristatus scoticus.

They are monogamous and nest in what is known as snags - gashes in trees or in rotten trees in which holes are made. They may make use of old Great Spotted Woodpecker holes.

They feed on insects, other invertebrates pine seeds and nuts. They are acrobatic as they feed in the tops of Scots pines and are constantly vocal.

Crested Tit

Creative Commons - Credit Ron Knight