Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus) — identification, habitat & look-alikes

The Long-tailed Tit is a tiny Eurasian bird whose tail is longer than its round body. Long-tailed Tits do not live in the wild in the United States; the related Bushtit is the only member of this bird family native to the Americas. Long-tailed Tits travel in family flocks outside the nesting season and build enclosed, stretchy nests.

Appearance

Appearance: Adults are about 5.1–6.3 in (13–16 cm) long, but more than half of that length can be tail. The plumage varies by and may show an all-white head or broad black bands over the eyes, with black, white, and pink elsewhere.

Look-alikes

BushtitPsaltriparus minimus

A Bushtit is mostly plain gray-brown and lacks the Long-tailed Tit's bold white, black, and pink pattern. In the United States, a wild flock of tiny long-tailed birds is expected to be Bushtits because Long-tailed Tits are Eurasian.

Why they get mixed upBoth are tiny, social birds with long tails that forage actively in shrubs and trees.

Where it lives

Typical habitats: open woodlands
shrubby edges
parks and gardens
farmland hedgerows
Range: It lives across much of Eurasia rather than in the wild in the United States.
Seasonal presence: Many populations remain in the same broad region year-round, although local movements occur.

Behavior

Diet: They pick insects, spiders, caterpillars, and moth or butterfly eggs from twigs and leaves.
Activity: They move restlessly through tree canopies and shrubs, sometimes hanging upside down while feeding.
Social life: Outside the nesting season they travel in family-based flocks. Failed breeders sometimes help relatives feed their young.

Life cycle

Breeding season: Nesting begins in late winter or spring, with timing varying across Eurasia.
Nest: Both adults build a domed nest from moss, cobwebs, and hair, cover it with lichen and bark, and line it with many small feathers.
Clutch size: 6–15 eggs
Fledging: Young usually leave the nest about 14–18 days after hatching.

Name and classification

About the name: The species has many regional subspecies. White-headed northern birds and dark-striped birds from much of Europe and East Asia can look strikingly different while remaining the same species.

Conservation

IUCN Red List: LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction

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