The Blue Tit

Sporting a mix of blue, yellow, white, green, and black, the unmistakable Blue Tit echoes the hues of an Earth that is becoming increasingly populated. Blue Tits have adapted well to modern humanity, taking advantage of our propensity to feed birds and provide nest-boxes. In turn, this charismatic species provides an excellent model for research, and currently features in around 100 scientific papers annually. This new Poyser monograph is the result of a personal quest by author Martyn Stenning to bring these discoveries together in one accessible volume.

The text initially invites readers into the intimate life of breeding Blue Tits and describes how nature has shaped their destiny. Moving on to the diversification and classification of Blue Tit variation across their range, the story progresses into population structure, life-time ecology, and mortality, culminating in an exploration of factors that determine breeding success. The book concludes with a genial selection of anecdotes, folklore, and poetry.

Martyn Stenning developed an interest in natural history very early on in his childhood. From "Microscope Monitor" at primary school to a focus on science at secondary school, as well as an avid reader of wildlife books and investigator of nature, he was destined for the academic study of ecology. Following an HND in Biology, Martyn joined the University of Sussex Biological Sciences team in 1976. He gained a master's degree by thesis on Pied Flycatchers in 1984, followed by a DPhil on Blue Tits in 1995, and produced several scientific publications on these species. Other subjects of study have included chalk downland plants, tropical aquatic snails, Dormice and--inevitably--other bird species.