Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Main descriptions of vocalizations and vocal behavior are derived primarily from Hinde (84 Hinde, R. A. (1952). The Behaviour of the Great Tit Parus major and Some Related Species. Behaviour Supplement 2. E. J. Brill, Leiden, Netherlands. Close ), Gompertz (85 Gompertz, T. (1961). The vocabulary of the Great Tit. British Birds 54:369–394. Close ), and Cramp and Perrins (19 Cramp, S., and C. M. Perrins, Editors (1993). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 7. Flycatchers to shrikes. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), except where noted.

Development

Fledglings have loud, high-pitched tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee or more emphatic zicker-zicker-zicker, and shorter zi-zi-zi contact note.

Vocal Array

Songs

The male territorial song ( ) of the major subspecies group is a loud, sharp, slightly metallic series of 2- or 3-part phrases (exceptionally 1 or 4+ parts), repeated several times (exceptionally up to 10 times), given variously as tea-cher, tea-cher, teechuwee teechuwee, tsi-tsi-daa tsi-tsi-daa, or zizibaah zizizbaah. The female has a very similar song to that of the male, but this is rarely given. Both sexes give soft subsong (normally from within foliage, almost inaudible except at close range) of random warbled notes, usually from end of winter to start of nest-building or fledging of young.

Calls

The male has large repertoire and variety of calls, with up to 40 distinct notes recorded ().

Churring Calls ( ). Also called D calls. scold calls, or mobbing calls, and are analogous to similar calls in many other parid species, such as Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) or Eurasian Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) (86 Hailman, J. P. and M. S. Ficken. (1996). "Comparative analysis of vocal repertoires with reference to chickadees." In Ecology and Evolution of acoustic communication in birds., edited by D. Kroodsma and E. H. Miller, 136-159. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Univ. Press. Close , 87 Langham, G. M., T. A. Contreras and K. E. Sieving. (2006). Why pishing works: Titmouse (Paridae) scolds elicit a generalized response in bird communities. Écoscience 13 (4):485-496. Close ). Consists of repeated harsh D notes, given as chich-ich-ich-ich or chach-ach-ach, and usually preceded by one or more tsee, tink or pee-tink notes ( ). Also gives a dry, rising chur-r-r-r-rihihi, often as prelude to heavy scolding churr. These calls may be given lightly as contact between partners, and also during courtship, but are more prolonged, emphatic, and harsh when alarmed or agitated, as when mobbing a threat. The vocal characteristics of these calls encode information to others about the threat level, and signal other birds to join in mobbing behaviors (87 Langham, G. M., T. A. Contreras and K. E. Sieving. (2006). Why pishing works: Titmouse (Paridae) scolds elicit a generalized response in bird communities. Écoscience 13 (4):485-496. Close , 88 Kalb, N., and C. Randler (2019). Behavioral responses to conspecific mobbing calls are predator-specific in great tits (Parus major). Ecology and Evolution 9:9207–9213. Close ; see Behavior: Predation).

Single Call Notes ( ). A variety of soft pit, spick, chit, or squink calls, often given as contact calls when foraging or as introductory notes to longer series of other calls. A high-pitched tsee may be given in rapid series. Also gives variable lower-pitched pee notes.

Tink Call ( ). A loud metallic tink or chink used almost exclusively by adult male in variety of situations, e.g., alarm, territory defense (often during prolonged “tinking duels” with rivals at territory boundaries), aggression and during winter flocking, and very similar to one of the calls given by Common Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs), a similarity further enhanced when repeated as rapid double or treble tink-tink-tink, also often as precursor to full song. This call may be given also by the female in territory defense close to nest site, often with thin or sharp tsee.

Other calls include dry, nasal tcha-tcha-tcha (variation of churring call) and reminiscent of similar phrase of Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris), rather explosive chack-chack-chee… and spick-spick-pee-peu-peu and variety of similar notes, including tsee-tsui in anxiety and aggression; during courtship and display male gives low warbling ziddle zeeeeeeee or tri li li deeeee, female responding with similar but lower zeedle-zeedle-zeedle-zeedle (occasionally a more rapid zzrrree zrrree…). Female on nest may give loud, explosive hissing note, possibly as defense against potential predator.

Geographic Variation

Habitat across the range has an effect on song characteristics; birds from denser forest have, compared to open woodland populations, have songs with a lower maximum frequency, a narrower frequency range, and fewer notes per song phrase (89 Hunter, M. L., and J. R. Krebs (1979). Geographical variation in the song of the Great Tit (Parus major) in relation to ecological factors. Journal of Animal Ecology 48:759–785. Close ).

The territorial song of the bokharensis subspecies group ("Turkestan Tit") is a pid-du, pid-du, pid-du, rather similar in tone to song of Coal Tit (Periparus ater), but often thinner or more plaintive than that of other P. major taxa, as well as a ringing pink-it, pink-it and a descending chee-chee-chee-chee; also usual for males to have at least three songs of differing tempo. Songs may lack flat-pitched whistles found in other populations (90 Boesman, P. (2016). Notes on the vocalizations of Great Tit (Parus major), Turkestan Tit (Parus bokharensis) and Green-backed Tit (Parus monticolus). HBW Alive Ornithological Note 217. In: Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Close ).

Phenology

The male is vocal throughout year. Songs are primarily given from late winter to the end of the nesting season.

Daily Pattern of Vocalizing

Songs may be given throughout the day, but are concentrated in a brief dawn chorus, which often occurs between the male waking and the female emerging from a nest cavity, and sometimes there is a secondary peak of song in the evening. The dawn chorus peaks ~20–35 minutes after civil twilight, and lasts ~35–45 minutes, with some variation by latitude (northern birds peak later relative to civil twilight, and dawn chorus lasts slightly longer relative to southern birds; 91 Mace, R. (1989). A comparison of Great Tits' (Parus major) use of time in different daylengths at three European sites. Journal of Animal Ecology 58(1):143–151. Close ).

Places of Vocalizing

Males sings at various heights, but primarily from a high available perch. In a woodland in England, birds sing from a mean height of 9.3 ± 0.3 SE (n = 334), distinctly higher than other activities, and show a preference for singing from hawthorn canopy (Crataegus sp.) (92 Hunter, M. L., Jr. (1980). Microhabitat selection for singing and other behaviour in great tits, Parus major: Some visual and acoustical considerations. Animal Behaviour 28(2):468–472. Close ).

Repertoire and Delivery of Songs

Individual males usually have a repertoire of several distinct song types, typically with around 3–4 common song types and occasionally up to 18 total song types.

Females on the nest may react to intruders with bill snaps and clapping the wings (84 Hinde, R. A. (1952). The Behaviour of the Great Tit Parus major and Some Related Species. Behaviour Supplement 2. E. J. Brill, Leiden, Netherlands. Close , 85 Gompertz, T. (1961). The vocabulary of the Great Tit. British Birds 54:369–394. Close , 19 Cramp, S., and C. M. Perrins, Editors (1993). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 7. Flycatchers to shrikes. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).