Listen to the great tit
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the great tit
The great tit is a bird in the family Paridae (order Passeriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 23 cm and weigh around 18 g.
What does the great tit sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
The recordings here are labelled as call, parus major and song. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The great tit (Parus major) is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is widespread and common throughout Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and as far east as the Amur River. It also occurs in parts of North Africa where it is generally resident in any sort of woodland. Most great tits do not migrate, except in extremely harsh winters. Until 2005 this species was lumped with numerous other subspecies. However, DNA studies have revealed that these subspecies are distinct from the great tit, and they have now been classified as two distinct species, the cinereous tit (Parus cinereus) of southern Asia, and the Japanese tit (Parus minor) of East Asia. The great tit remains the most widespread species in the genus Parus.
More from the family Paridae
Frequently asked questions
What does a great tit sound like?
You can hear 6 recordings of the great tit on this page, including its call, parus major and song. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the great tit endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the great tit as “least concern”.
What family does the great tit belong to?
The great tit (Parus major) belongs to the family Paridae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources & credits
- Great Tit (Parus major) (W1CDR0001393 BD1) – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Parus major by Oona Räisänen ( Mysid ) – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · parque del alamillo, sevilla, andalucía, Spain by José Carlos Sires – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Jardin des Plantes (near Paris), Arrondissement de Paris… by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Jardin des Plantes (near Paris), Arrondissement de Paris… by Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Rosny-sous-Bois, Seine-Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, France by Vincent Ollivier – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q25485 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Great tit – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Frank Vassen from Brussels, Belgium – CC BY 2.0