Long-tailed Tits Look Like Pleasantly Plump Little Bird Dumplings

Habitat: throughout Europe and Asia
Status: Least Concern

These fat feathered creatures are Long-tailed Tits (Aegithalos caudatus) that to me look more like a pom-pom with a long tail than a bird. These guys only reach a length of 13–15 cm in length, including its 7–9 cm tail.

Not only are they extremely tiny and c-u-t-e but they are crafty little critters. A Long-tailed Tit will construct a domed nest during breeding season that consists of moss woven together with spider webs and hair. You know you’re tiny when you’re using spider webs as construction material. The outside of the nest is camouflaged, too, with up to 3,000 flakes of lichen and lined with an average (though sometimes more) of 1500 small feathers. Even with all that effort, the Long-tailed Tit has a hell of a time surviving predation: only 17% of nests will come out successfully producing live offspring.

It has been shown that failed pairs will split up and spend their time helping other male relatives raise their young. These nests are the ones that stand the greatest chance of survival because all of the chicks end of getting more gathered food and extra defense. So, to recap, Long-tailed Tits are cute, tiny, and sweet – basically the best bird ever.

Here’s a video of Pip, a Long-tailed Tit that was rescued after being found with a broken wing, leg, and missing tail feathers. He will never fully regain perfect mobility so he is unable to be released back into the wild. He looks pretty well-adjusted to his new human laden life, though!