"Bum-barrels twit on bush and tree
Scarse bigger then a bumble bee
And in a white thorn’s leafy rest
It builds its curious pudding-nest
Wi hole beside as if a mouse
Had built the little barrel house."
-John Clare
The long-tailed tit is a tiny, fluffy, round-bodied tit with a short, stubby bill and a very long, narrow tail seen all across Europe and the Palearctic. Their long tail makes them look bigger than they actually are.
These tits are closely related to the babblers of India and South-east Asia and like babblers they are gregarious and move around in small noisy flocks. Their small bodies lose warmth very quickly so during winter they roost by huddling together. Their social behavior is also displayed during their nest building process where related birds may help the nesting pair in nest building or repair. These barrel / bottle shaped nests with a small opening are made by using moss, lichen, spider silk and are lined with more than 2,000 downy feathers to provide insulation.
For a tiny bird it sure has a lot of local names. Bumbarrel, Bottle Tom, Bum Towel, Bottle Builder, Dog Tail, Oven Bird, Long-tailed Farmer, Poke Pudding to name a few!
Long-tailed tit
(Aegithalos caudatus)
Sony A77ii
Tamron 150-600
f/5.6, 1/400s, ISO1600, 330mm
Stamford, (UK)
Jan - 2021