A rather plain tit with grey-brown upperparts and a bold black-and-white head. It closely resembles Willow Tit and can be hard to tell apart, but typically shows little or no obvious wing panel, a slightly smaller-looking head, and a tidier, more compact bib. These features are generally more dependable in western Europe than across parts of Asia. It favours deciduous woodland, old orchards, and gardens, and may visit feeders. In western Europe its voice is especially helpful for identification: the song is a repeated series of “chew” notes forming a slow trill, and the calls include a clear “pitchu, pitchu” and a sharp “tsip-tsip.

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