- Lifespan
- 3–5 years in the wild, occasionally up to 8 years
- Size & Weight
- 8–9 cm, wingspan 13–15 cm; 6–9 g
- Habitat
- Coniferous and mixed woodlands, plantations, and gardens with evergreen shrubs and trees.
- UK Distribution
- Year-round resident throughout the UK, with populations supplemented by continental migrants in autumn and winter, particularly in eastern regions.
- Diet
- Almost exclusively small insects and spiders, gleaned from foliage and twigs; occasionally takes small seeds and insects in flight during winter.
- Prey
- Small arthropods including aphids, scale insects, tiny flies, and spiders; insectivore rather than predator
- Predators
- Sparrowhawks, other small raptors, domestic cats, and occasionally larger shrikes
- Mating Season
- March to July
- Breeding
- Two broods per year; clutch size 7–12 eggs; incubation period 14–15 days; fledging 15–19 days; can raise two successive broods in a season
- Behaviour
- Britain's smallest bird, highly acrobatic and restless, constantly moving through foliage in search of food. Often seen in small flocks, particularly in winter, and frequently joins mixed-species feeding flocks with other small woodland birds.