Long-tailed Tit | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Aegithalidae |
Genus: | Aegithalos |
Species: | Aegithalos caudatus |
The Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus), is a very small passerine bird. Its family, Aegithalidae, is related to the true tits.
Description[]
This is a very small bird at only 13-15 cm in length including its very long tail, which makes up 7-9 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. There are several other subspecies which vary substantially in plumage (such as European birds have got black above eye and Turkish birds have got greyish "eyebrow" above eye and black throat with grey scapulars). Hybridization between subspecies is common, and the hybridization zone between caudatus and europaeus seems to move in an easterly direction.
Voice[]
The two main calls are a srih-srih-srih, and a churr.
Behavior[]
This is a restless species constantly on the move as it searches for insects and other small food items. During the autumn and winter, it is usually found in flocks of up to thirty individuals; it has been described as an avian sheep. These flocks are sometimes mixed with other tit species. During the breeding season (late February to July), Long-tailed Tits form monogamous pairs, and raise a single brood of six to twelve eggs in a woven closed nest, often concealed within a tree or shrub. The nest is held together with spider webs, camouflaged with lichen and lined with feathers. Adult male birds will often choose to assist their parents or brothers in raising offspring if their own nest is predated.
Distribution and Habitat[]
Long-tailed Tits breed in most of Europe and Asia. They are usually a non-migratory species, although there have been several extralimital records, and migration has been observed in north-eastern Europe. They are found in deciduous woodlands with significant undergrowth.