Great Tit Parus major Linnaeus, 1758
According to Svensson, the British & irish ssp. newtoni “is very similar to nominate European ssp. major, but has on average slighly darker green mantle, nearly always yellow-tinged edges to tertials and tips to greater coverts (whiter in major) and a little stronger bill (esp.wider and higher at the base, but also slightly longer).” I contacted the Chew Valley Ringing Station team to ask if they check for the presence of the nominate ssp. major, but it seems they only routinely measure the wing length of those caught, and due to the overlap of various characters of ssp. newtoni and major, they have no information on the status of the nominate european ssp. locally.
Great Tit Parus m. newtoni Pražák, 1894.
Fairly common, resident. Breeds. May be seen in any month.
Great Tit Parus m. major Linnaeus, 1758.
Possible resident & winter migrant. Local status unknown.
This ssp. of Great Tit is, I assume, most likely to occur in south-east England, where it has been suggested (Svensson, 1992) that there may also be intergrades between the two ssp. However, the extent to which ssp. major may have spread across England is, as far as I know, unknown.
Bibliography (sources of information):
Svensson, L., Identification Guide to European Passerines. 4th edition, 1992. ISBN: 91-630-1118-2
Svensson, L., Identification Guide to European Passerines. 5th edition, 2023. ISBN: 9789198516685
Last update: 9th December 2024