Long-tailed tit - description, habitat

By long-tailed tit is meant a songbird belonging to a passe-like order. Individuals from this breed group are popularly known as taline or titmouse tailed. You can also find in some sources the name apollonovka. Birds stand out for their miniature size and interesting behavior. In terms of external features, they look like a bloated ball with thick protruding plumage and an interesting form of the beak. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, revealing the cards. We will study all the details in turn.

Lifestyle

1. A miniature bird has long won recognition in the open spaces of our homeland. She is called a riparian, as well as a long-tail titmouse. All thanks to interesting external data that distinguishes this individual from itself.
2. The tail of the birds is elongated, stepped, patterned.The very form of the body is exaggerated due to thick and standing plumage. Klyuvik inflated, moderately large. The representative of the family differs from its relatives with behavioral signs and external characteristics.
3. The voice of individuals is squeaky, thin, different from others. It is easy to distinguish a tit from itself because of its beautiful coloring and peculiarity to live in flocks.
4. If you look at the individuals sitting in the trees from a long distance, it will seem that there are balls with tails before your eyes. As a rule, while resting, these birds press their heads and sit still. Actually on this soil birds and got their name.

Description and habitat

1. It is difficult to look away from these individuals. In terms of their dimensional characteristics, they hardly reach 15 cm, but in nature there are even smaller birds. As for the weight of the body, tits weigh about 12-13 grams.
2. The color of the representatives of the group almost everywhere whitish. Is that on the back can be observed black markings, and in the sacral region - specks of red, purple-red hue.In the area of ​​the lateral parts pink plumage is visible, the same can be said about the abdominal part.
3. There are no significant differences in sex; females are slightly smaller than males and paler in plumage. In young stock, the color of the body differs when compared with adult individuals. The younger generation does not look so beautiful, all shades are “dirty”, smeared, there are many spots of crimson tone.
4. However, in nature, you can find individuals who have these spots remain from infancy for life. This quality is more typical of Caucasian tit.
5. Adversars lead a hidden lifestyle, try not to come across a person's eyes. The population is quite extensive, during the migration one can observe hundreds of individuals that are shipped to other lands.
6. In the summer season, broken into couples, the newly-made family behaves secretively. Partners coo, prepare to continue the race. They choose secluded places, live near willows, birches.
7. They prefer to live in European countries, in Ukraine, in Russia. Occur in the mountainous areas of the Crimea, the Caucasus and Siberia. Individuals living to the north go to warm regions for wintering, then return to their native spaces.

Characteristics

1. Considered representatives of birds have a very fussy and agile temperament. It is thanks to such characteristic features and because of the squeak, birds belong to the genus of tits. Since the end of summer, the individuals in question begin to wander through the forests.
2. During this period, the birds try to search all the treetops. It is worth noting that individuals have a wavy flight. It is because of this that they somehow resemble the behavior of wagtails. A surprising fact is that the tits during the flight do not lower to the lower level of the branches. Also, birds cannot get insects from the bark of trees. Their beak is too small.
3. It is worth noting that the birds do not have a strong fearfulness. Birds without any hesitation can tolerate the presence of outside observers. You can independently approach a flock of birds at a distance of up to 4 m. In rare cases, in places of nesting such individuals may even sit on a person’s arm.
4. Birds can build dwellings both in low bushes and on the tops of large trees. Often tits build nests from cocoons of insects, cobwebs, stems, moss and all sorts of fibers.Outside, birds mask the nest with tree bark. As a result, consider the home is almost impossible.
5. As for the lining, inside the nest individuals use feathers and wool. We should also mention that the birds have a rather peaceful temperament. Therefore tits, you will never see in any fights and clashes. However, this can not be said about the big brothers.
6. If such individuals are kept in a not will, then they very quickly get used to the person. As a result, they are very calm. In the wild, tits do not attack other birds and show only tender feelings to each other. They care about the satellite. It is worth knowing that the birds do not tolerate loneliness.

Nutrition

1. Tits have a knack. Because of this, they quickly fly between the branches and grab any insects that they come across on their way. They also collect the larvae. Food tits swallow immediately.
2. It is worth noting that the favorite delicacy of birds is aphid. As a result, tits will destroy pests, which positively affects the general condition of forests. In winter, birds often pick up the seeds of plants and trees.

Long-tailed tits begin to form pairs in spring. After that, they proceed to the construction of nests. As for vidis of offspring, both parents are involved in this. Juveniles begin to hatch after half a month. In this case, chicks may appear at a time up to 15 pcs. After 3 weeks the young growth becomes almost independent.

Video: long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus)