Scientific name: Remiz pendulinus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bird group: Penduline Tits
Field characters. 11 cm. Small bird with pointed black bill, grey-white head with black mask, chestnut back, white underparts and forked tail. Wings black, with grey, brown and chestnut. Sexes almost similar, but mask of female smaller and upperparts slightly paler. Juvenile has no mask. Often difficult to observe and only found by voice. Flight undulating, similar to Blue Tit. Makes a long pouch-shaped nest from cobwebs and willow seeds, which hangs from a thin outer branch of willow or birch, often above water.
Voice. Call tit-like 'sisisi', long drawn 'sieeeee', like Reed Bunting but longer.
Distribution. Common but often only local.
Habitat. In swamps and marshes, near water bordered with trees, especially willows.
Food. Insects and plant seeds.