The Marsh Tit (Poecile palustris) is a small brown tit found in southern and central Sweden, a woodland species so similar to the Willow Tit that even experienced birders rely on voice to tell them apart. It measures 11–13 cm, weighs just 9–12 grams, and shows a glossy black cap and a small, neat black chin patch on an otherwise brownish-grey and off-white plumage. The Willow Tit, by contrast, has a duller, matte black cap, a larger and more diffuse chin patch, and a pale wing panel — subtle differences that make voice the most reliable way to separate the two.
The surest giveaway is a sharp, explosive "pitchoo" call — a quick, smacking opening note followed by a harsh, nasal finish — while the song is a series of short, clear, repeated notes at an even pitch. Despite its scientific name palustris, meaning "of the marsh", the Marsh Tit is not a wetland bird at all; it favours fresh deciduous woodland, hazel stands and species-rich broadleaf forest with a dense understory, and stays remarkably close to its territory year-round. Unlike the Willow Tit, which excavates its own nest hole in rotten wood, the Marsh Tit relies on existing tree cavities, old woodpecker holes or nest boxes, where the female lays 6–9 eggs. In summer it feeds on insects, larvae and spiders gleaned from foliage, switching in autumn and winter to seeds and nuts, which — like other tits — it hoards in bark crevices and moss. Sweden's population, estimated at 50,000–75,000 pairs, is declining as older, undergrowth-rich deciduous forest becomes scarcer, and the species is now red-listed as Near Threatened.
Read about this species in Swedish →