Blue Tit

Open encyclopedia reference

The Eurasian blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) is a small passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. It is easily recognised by its blue and yellow plumage and small size.

The Eurasian blue tit is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and parts of western Asia. It inhabits deciduous or mixed woodlands, often with a high proportion of oak, and it is usually non-migratory. They typically nest in tree holes but readily adapt to using nest boxes when necessary. Their main rivals for nests and in the search for food are the larger, somewhat more common great tits (Parus major).

The Eurasian blue tit's diet consists mainly of insects and spiders. Outside of the breeding season, they also eat seeds and other plant-based foods. These birds are known for their acrobatic abilities; they can grip the outermost branches of trees and shrubs and hang upside down while searching for food.

Wikipedia contributors, Eurasian blue tit; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:38:30.545392+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.

Identity & source status

Scientific name

Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Name authority

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Common name

Blue Tit

Rank

species

Accepted status

accepted

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Aves

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Paridae

Genus

Cyanistes

Extinction status

Recorded extant

Classification family tree

Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.

1. domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
2. kingdomAnimalia
3. phylumChordata
4. subphylumVertebrata
5. infraphylumGnathostomata
6. parvphylumOsteichthyes
7. megaclassTetrapoda
8. classAves
9. orderPasseriformes
10. familyParidae Vigors, 1825
11. genusCyanistes Kaup, 1829
12. speciesCyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Close classified relatives

These entries share the source’s genus, Cyanistes. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.

Browse 43 records assigned to Paridae.

Names & synonyms

Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.

Documented distribution

Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.

Source literature & publication evidence

References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.

1. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=559612 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references

Origins, evidence & remaining research

Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.

Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.

Dataset citation & attribution

This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11

Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.

Stable key: col:32NH2. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.