Long-Tailed Bushtit, Long-tailed tit, Long-tailed bushtit
The Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus) is a common bird found throughout Europe and the Palearctic. The genus name Aegithalos was a term used by Aristotle for some European tits, including the Long-tailed tit.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withTi
Tiny AnimalsThe Long-tailed tit is a round-bodied tit with a short, stubby bill and a very long, narrow tail. The male and the female look the same and young birds undergo a complete molt to adult plumage before the first winter. The plumage is mainly black and white, with variable amounts of grey and pink.
Long-tailed tits are globally widespread throughout northern Europe and the Palearctic, into boreal Scandinavia, and south into the Mediterranean zone. These birds don't migrate and inhabit deciduous and mixed woodland with a well-developed shrub layer, favoring edge habitats. They can also be found in scrub, heathland with scattered trees, bushes, and hedges, farmland and riverine woodland, parks, and gardens.
Long-tailed tits are social birds. From July to February, the non-breeding season, they form flocks of relatives and non-relatives, roosting communally. When the breeding season begins, the flocks break up, and the birds attempt to breed in pairs. Males remain within the winter territory, while females usually wander to neighboring territories. At the end of the breeding season, in June and July, the birds reform the winter flocks in their winter territory. Long-tailed tits are diurnal energetic and noisy. When in flocks they issue constant contact calls and are often heard before they are seen. They have three main calls, a single high-pitched 'pit', a ‘triple trill’ eez-eez-eez, and a rattling 'schnuur'. The calls become faster and louder when the birds cross open ground or if an individual becomes separated from the group.
The long-tailed tit is carnivorous (insectivorous) throughout the year. It eats predominantly arthropods, preferring the eggs and larvae of moths and butterflies. Occasional vegetable matter is taken in the autumn.
Long-tailed tits are monogamous and form long-lasting pair bonds. Their breeding season starts in late February and early March. Pairs construct their nest from four materials: lichen, feathers, spider egg cocoons, and moss, with over 6,000 pieces used for a typical nest. The nest is a flexible sac with a small, round entrance on top, suspended either low in a gorse or bramble bush or high up in the forks of tree branches. The structural stability of the nest is provided by a mesh of moss and spider silk. The tiny leaves of the moss act as hooks and the spider silk of egg cocoons provides the loops; thus forming a natural form of velcro. The tit lines the outside with hundreds of flakes of pale lichens - this provides camouflage. Inside, it lines the nest with more than 2,000 downy feathers to insulate the nest. The female lays 6 to 8 eggs and incubates them between 2 and 3 weeks. The chicks are altricial (helpless) when they hatch and both parents feed them for 2 weeks until they fledge. Due to high predation, there is a high nest failure rate. If nest failure occurs after the beginning of May, the pair will not try to re-nest but may become helpers at a nest of another, usually related, pair. They will help to feed and raise a brood.
Due to their small size, Long-tailed tits are vulnerable to extreme cold weather and may lose up to 80% of the population in times of prolonged cold. They also suffer nest predation and in some parts of their range loss of suitable habitat.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Long-tailed tit is 40,000-79,999,999 mature individuals. In Europe, the breeding population consists of 8,310,000-15,000,000 pairs, which equates to 16,600,000-30,100,000 mature individuals. National population estimates include around 10,000-100,000 breeding pairs in China; around 10,000-100,000 breeding pairs in Korea; around 10,000-100,000 breeding pairs in Japan and around 10,000-100,000 breeding pairs in Russia. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.
Long-tailed tits play an important role in their ecosystem. As insectivorous birds, they help control populations of small insects they eat and in turn, they serve as a food item for local predators including crows and small raptors.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...