A cute little bird with a permanent grin comes with an interesting name, that at times causes some consternation.
The bird known as the Black-throated bushtit weighs in at a paltry 4-9 grams 90.14-0.317 ounces) and is only 10.5 centimeters (4 inches) in length. Taiwanese wildlife photographer Chen Chengguang, who specializes in bird photography, has managed to shoot photos of this cute bird that are so clear you feel you could almost touch them.
The black-throated bushtit is a species that has very varied plumage, however, all subspecies have a similar lengthened tail (as opposed to the long tail of the related long-tailed tit), along with the famous black throat and a black bandit-like mask, around the eyes.
This cute little bandit’s population extends from the foothills of the Himalayas, stretching all the way across northern India into north-eastern Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, northern Burma, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Other populations have also been found in southern Vietnam, the island of Hainan, and further north in China, into the upper reaches of the Yellow River.
The Black-throated bushtit prefers to live in open broadleaf forest as well as pine, usually in mid-latitude areas. A very social bird it is known to travel in locks of up to 40 birds.
Not only does this tiny bird like to eat berries and seeds, but, ever the opportunist, they also dine on any small insects and spiders they happen to come across.
The Black-throated bushtit is a big fan of raspberries too!
Watch a video of the Black-throated bushtit right here below: