Photo ©
Jørgen Scheel
The Long-tailed Tit,
Aegithalos caudatus, is a very small passerine bird.
It breeds in most of Europe and Asia. It is usually a non-migratory
species,
although there have been several extralimital records,
and migration
has been observed in North-eastern Europe.
It is closely related
to the true tits, and in winter it is often found with tit flocks.
Photo ©
Jørgen Scheel
This is a very small
bird at only 1315 cm in length including its very long tail,
which itself makes up 79 cm of the total.
The Long-tailed Tit is black and brown above and whitish below,
with reddish flanks.
It has a white crown. North European birds (A. c. caudatus)
have completely white heads and flanks.
The subspecies 'caudatus' is considered the nominate subspecies,
there are several other subspecies which vary substantially in plumage.
Hybridization between subspecies is common, and the hybridization
zone between
'Caudatus' and 'Europaeus' seems to move in an easterly
direction.
Juvenile
Photo
from http://en.wikipedia.org
This is a restless
species, constantly on the move
as it searches for insects and other small food items.
It is usually found in small flocks, and has been described as an
avian sheep.
Long-tailed Tits are
birds of deciduous woodlands with undergrowth.
They nest in a tree or shrub. Six to twelve eggs are laid in a woven
closed nest.
The nest is held together with spider webs, and camouflaged with
lichen.
Adult birds will find a relative's nest and help feeding their "nephews
and nieces",
if their own nest is predated.
The call is loud trisyllabic
srih-srih-srih.
Text
from http://en.wikipedia.org
Photo ©
Jørgen Scheel