Common resident.

Recorded by Foster (1914) as being, “noticed in woods near Stevenage”.

Severe winter weather is their main enemy, particularly when ice glazing and hoar frost coat the small branches of trees making food inaccessible. Following the severe frost of, 1917 they were scarce for a number of years.

The effects of the severe winters of the early 1960’s may be reflected by the Stevenage Woodlands Conservation Society 1968 record of the first known nesting of Long-tailed Tits for 11 years in Monks Wood.

They were confirmed as breeding in nine of the town’s tetrads in the 1973 Breeding Atlas, ten in the 1992 Atlas and in eight in the 2012 Atlas.

The 2012 Winter Atlas confirmed their presence from all 11 of the tetrads covering Stevenage.

The Common Bird Census at Watery Grove recorded them holding between one and three breeding territories annually between 1972 and 1999.

Large winter flocks of 30 were seen at Box Wood on 1 January 1967 and, Watery Grove on 23 February 1982. A large summer flock of 31 adult and, juvenile birds was seen at Jackdaw Close on 16 June 2020.

13 were ringed at Box Wood on 7 January 1979.