Short abstract from the book: The blue tit is a common breeding bird all over Denmark,
breeding in deciduous woodland, parks and gardens. It is
also a common, and in some years irruptive passage migrant
and winter visitor. In Denmark the first blue tit was ringed
in 1922, with the largest number ringed in 1990 (5,886).
The majority of the recovered birds were ringed in May–June
and September–October. At least 33 % of the recovered birds
belonged to the Danish population.
The Danish blue tits are residents: 75 % of the blue tits
ringed as chicks have been recovered within 1 km of the
ringing site and none has been recovered more than 100 km
away (furthest distance 95 km). Sixteen of the birds ringed
as chicks were recovered more than 25 km from the ringing
site, 14 of these within their first year. The adults disperse
even less than the juveniles: of 101 birds ringed as adults in
the breeding season, 88 % were recovered less than 1 km from the ringing site, 11 % between 1 and 5 km, and one 20 km
from the ringing site.
Outside the breeding season, Denmark is visited by blue tits
from southern Norway, southern Sweden, the Baltic Countries
and Kaliningrad. Eighty-eight per cent of the visitors are
young birds less than one-year old, and 75 % of these were
females. Eighty-five per cent of the visitors older than one year
were females. The first birds from these populations arrive
in late September, most in October. Ninety per cent of the
foreign blue tits were ringed in Sweden, mostly at Falsterbo.
The Swedish blue tits are most frequent in eastern Denmark,
with only 6 % recovered in Jutland, whereas Norwegian tits
are most frequent in north and west Jutland. Blue tits from
Germany, the Netherlands and Poland have also been recovered in Denmark. Most were ringed and recovered during
migration. Most visitors leave Denmark in March-April.
Read more about the species in the chapter from The Danish Bird Migration Atlashere
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