Tiny bird feeds her 11 chicks on branch of tree

The family of long-tailed tits wait patiently for their next meal at the Fairburn Ings, West Yorkshire

Eleven hungry beaks to feed . . . no wonder their poor mother looks a little ruffled.

But these newborn long-tailed tits, lined up on a branch and clamouring for a snack, are among the lucky ones.

They have a nice home in an RSPB nature reserve at Fairburn Ings, West Yorkshire, where they won't be allowed to starve.

Other long-tailed tits have not been so lucky. The tiny birds have suffered in the long, harsh winter and numbers are down a quarter on last year.