Bearded tits are particularly vulnerable to long cold winters, when populations can be reduced to mere handfuls. Thankfully populations recover successfully after milder ones. The arrival of spring also brings its own problems as flooding can wash away their nests. Their common name is quite misleading as they do not have beards, though the males do sport markings that look rather like a moustache. They are also no longer assigned to the tit family! Bearded tits are wetland specialists, that breed in the reed beds and swamps of Europe and Asia. There are around 500 pairs in the UK found in south and east England.

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