Crested Tit Lophophanes cristatus native to the Scottish Pinewoods, Loch Garten, Highland, Scotland. SCO 6864
It is largely confined to ancient Caledonian pine forests and Scots pine plantations. It spends its time foraging on the trunk and large branches of pine trees and after the breeding season will join other tit species in roving flocks. Will visit garden birdtables and feeders. In Scotland, the crested tit is confined to Caledonian pine forest remnants and pine plantations in Easter Ross, the Beauly catchment (which includes Glen Affric), Strathspey and the Moray Firth coast. It is missing from some of the ancient pinewood remnants, including those on Deeside and at Rannoch, but the reasons for this are not clear, as suitable habitat exists there. The poor dispersal ability of the species has been suggested as one possible reason for this - the geographical isolation of the forest fragments has resulted in large gaps of treeless ground which the birds are unable to cross in sufficient numbers. The population in Scotland has increased in recent decades, as a result of the expansion of pine plantations. Following three years of study by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) between 1992-95, it was estimated at 7,000 individuals. About one third of this number were in Caledonian pine forest remnants, with the remainder occurring for the most part in plantations of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). However, the density of birds in the native pinewoods was almost ten times that of the plantations, thereby indicating that the ancient forest provides a much more favourable habitat. In the past, before most of the Caledonian Forest was cleared, it is likely that crested tit numbers were substantially greater than those of today.
Size: 4134px × 5075px
Location: Loch Garten, Nethybridge, Strathspey, Inverness-shire Highland Region. Scotland.
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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