Marsh tit or willow tit?

[Poirot]

Hi i keep seeing a unknown bird in the garden, i had a look in my bird book and it could either be a marsh tit or a willow tit. The book does not say how to distinguish them, it only says they have similar plumage.

Does anyone know how you tell the difference between them?

Poirot

[glsammy]

The never ending Marsh and Willow saga continues!

The main differences:
Willow Tit:
Large Dull Black Cap. Appears big headed with a Bull neck. Rich Orange Buff Flanks, with a Pale secondary wing panel.
The Marsh Tit generally looks slightly longer in the body, with a glossy Black cap, and lighter flanks.
The problem is that the conditions can make either look like the other!
The only real way is to listen to them.
The Marsh has a kind of "Pichew" call, whilst the Willow is more of a "zee_zee_zee"

[Poirot]

Thanks ill try listen out and see which one it is

[watsthat]

Ahhh... the sleepless nights I`ve spent pondering this one.

4 years ago, when I first moved to my present address, there was a marsh tit calling distinctly nearby for several weeks in the autumn. So far so good... but since then marsh/willow tits seem to have been reluctant to call for me when I see them, (even though they are supposed to call all the time). So I concentrated on visual identification features at every opportunity and I can honestly say that after 4 years I am no nearer separating them visually, with any certainty. I do see quite a lot of pale wing bars though (willow) and I have heard definite willow tit calls over the last 4 years but no definite repeat of a marsh tit call. It makes me think that marsh is a bit scarce.

Pete