The Long-tailed Tit lives for the most part on very small insects, spiders and, not least, aphids and their eggs, which it seeks out on the very outermost twigs. It is constantly on the move and often hangs acrobatically upside down as it combs the tips of the branches. In winter, when insects are scarce, the flocks increasingly visit bird tables where they take suet and fat balls — a relatively new behaviour that may have improved the species' winter survival.