Willow Tit or Marsh Tit?

One of the most difficult identification challenges for UK birdwatchers is separating Willow Tits and Marsh Tits. These two rare red listed species are found at both the Lower Tamar and Upper Tamar Lakes on the Devon and Cornwall border; my local birding spot.

A friend of mine and local birdwatcher Rod Mudge is an expert on visually identifying both species. He recently wrote an article for Devon Birds in their August 2026 Newsletter explaining the differences. The identification images used in the article were taken by myself and were all carefully vetted by Rod to make sure the identification was correct.

So, if you want to be able to identify these two species by sight, this article is an essential read - see August 26 final pdf. https://www.devonbirds.org/document-archive/email-news-letter/