Christopher Taylor Bird Nature Wildlife Mammal Photography
bird photography
GALLERIES > BIRDS > PASSERIFORMES > AEGITHALIDAE > BUSHTIT [Psaltriparus minimus]    [plot on map]


Bushtit Image @ Kiwifoto.com
 
 
Location: Torrance (Madrona Marsh), CA
GPS: 33.8N, -118.3W, elev=78' MAP
Date: October 7, 2008
ID : 7C2V9449 [3888 x 2592]

Bushtit Image @ Kiwifoto.com
 
 
Location: Morro Bay (Elfin Forest), CA
GPS: 35.3N, -120.8W, elev=92' MAP
Date: March 9, 2008
ID : 5642 [3888 x 2592]

bird photography

Bushtit Photo @ Kiwifoto.com
 
 
Location: Santa Monica (Woodlawn Cemetery), CA
GPS: 34.0N, -118.5W, elev=139' MAP
Date: April 28, 2011
ID : B13K7924 [4896 x 3264]

bird photography

Bushtit Picture @ Kiwifoto.com
 
 
Location: Morro Bay (Elfin Forest), CA
GPS: 35.3N, -120.8W, elev=92' MAP
Date: March 9, 2008
ID : 5649 [3888 x 2592]

Bushtit Picture @ Kiwifoto.com
 
 
Location: Torrance (Madrona Marsh), CA
GPS: 33.8N, -118.3W, elev=78' MAP
Date: September 20, 2007
ID : ? [3888 x 2592]

bird photography

Bushtit Picture @ Kiwifoto.com
 
 
Location: Torrance (Madrona Marsh), CA
GPS: 33.8N, -118.3W, elev=78' MAP
Date: September 20, 2007
ID : ? [3888 x 2592]

nature photography

SPECIES INFO

The Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) is a long-tailed tit found in North America. It is the only species in the family found in the New World, and the only member of the genus Psaltriparus.

Bushtits inhabit mixed open woodlands, often containing oaks and a scrubby understory. They are year-round residents of the western United States and highland parts of Mexico, ranging from Vancouver through the Great Basin and the lowlands and foothills of California, to southern Mexico and Guatemala.

The Bushtit is one of the smallest passerines in North America, at 11 cm in length and 5.3 g in weight. It is gray-brown overall, with a large head, a short neck, a long tail, and a short stubby bill. It has dark eyes, except that adult females have yellow eyes.

"Black-eared" Bushtits also have a dark ear patch (the auriculars). This morph was formerly considered a separate species (P. melanotis). It doesn't occur in the northern part of the range; as one moves south its first noted near the Mexican border, mostly in Texas. Here most individuals with the black ear patch are juvenile males, and none are adult females. Some birds have only one or two dark lines on the face instead of a complete patch. Black-eared birds become more common southward in the northeastern (but not the northwestern) highlands of Mexico until from central Mexico south, all males have a complete black ear patch and even adult females have a black arc over the eye and usually a black line through the eye.

Bushtits are active and gregarious, foraging in cohesive groups of 10 to over 40 for small insects and spiders. Members of the group constantly make contact calls to each other that can be described as a short tsit.

As "plain" Bushtits lack major identifying markings, they are often identified by their shape, calls, and behaviors.




nature photography
bushtit's Range Map Click here to see the Bushtit's range map!
Listen to the Bushtit Song:



HOME · ABOUT ME · GALLERY · STOCKLIST · VIDEO · SEARCH · PRESS · CONTACT · BLOG · NEW STUFF
nature photography
All images and video © Copyright 2006-2024 Christopher Taylor, Content and maps by their respective owner. All rights reserved.
bird photography