Coal tit intelligence

BrianD3

Are coal tits more intelligent than other tits and than other small birds when it comes to using feeders.

I put out a caged feeder. Within 5 minutes the coal tits started using it and had it to themselves for a few days.

Then the odd goldfinch started using it

Then after that some blue tits. And now great tits.

So the coal tits were way ahead of the rest

I thought that perhaps other small birds couldn't physically fit in through the cage but the fact that great tits can fit in through the cage shows this probably isn't the case.

And several years ago when when i would put out peanut feeders I had a wooden one with a hole for filling at the back. The coal tits would nip through the hole, come out with a whole peanut and fly off while the rest of the birds squabbled on the mesh. No other birds would use the hole.

Kess73

I am not sure if they are more intelligent, but what they do seem to be, is less cautious of new feeders/items in the garden than many of the other birds.

They also seem to have an almost curious nature where they check out every little nook and cranny in the garden, so anything new is going to get attention.

They are quite good at figuring out how to let you know they want to be fed, as are blue tits.

I have a number of birds that I hand feed with live food, and Blue, great, and coal tits are amongst them. The CTs and BTs will hover/flutter in front of the window until they see me looking at them, and then they will cling to the frame of the window until I go out to them.

The great tits tend to stare in and then move off if they are not spotted.

The best at getting attention are my robins, with the eldest one, Chuck, coming to the window and letting rip with a subsong until I come to the window.

Below are some of my hand feeders, I have put some of these pics up here before, but some I may not have.




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BrianD3

Amazing pics, thanks for posting

Judgement Day

Great pics Kess73 - are those the 'legendary' mealworms you're feeding them with? I've heard they are great for attracting birds to the hand for feeding.

Kess73

Judgement Day wrote: »

Great pics Kess73 - are those the 'legendary' mealworms you're feeding them with? I've heard they are great for attracting birds to the hand for feeding.

Hehe standard mealworm, although I get the mini-mealworm as well during the breeding season, and waxworm are what I normally get in terms of live food. You would be surprised though at how individual birds will favour one over the other, and not be drawn to the one they do not like.

Also birds will not come to the hand of a person they do not want to approach, regardless of what tasty delight is presented.

In my back I have a decent selection that will come to me, three species of tit, robin, blackbirds, house sparrows, some redpoll, a few corvids, and a very cheeky wren.

I use the aforementioned mealworm/waxform along with nyger seed, sunflower hearts and suet pellets for handfeeding depending on species.