the willow tit's winter flock
The flock
The willow tit lives in flocks of four to six birds during the winter. Two of them make up a couple, an older male and female. A few younger birds join the flock during the summer.
The territory
The flock lives all winter within a territory which belongs to the older couple. It measures around 25 hectares.
The food
The birds eat insects and seeds. Seeds from trees are hoarded in the territory during the fall. One willow tit can hide 80,000 pieces of food in cracks of tree-trunks and branches. Different willow tits use different places and remember the hiding-places.
Social ranking
The members of a flock are socially ranked: males are above females and older birds dominate younger.
