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Bushtit

Psaltriparus minimusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Bushtit (Aegithalidae)
Codes: Common Name: BUSH Scientific Name: PSAMIN ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178764
Least Concern
 
Bushtit
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Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

Overview

Bushtit: Tiny, acrobatic bird with gray-brown upperparts and paler underparts. Eyes are dark brown, bill is tiny, and tail is long. Pacific coast race has brown crown. Rocky Mountain race has gray cap and brown ear patch. South New Mexico/Texas race has black mask, ear patch. Weak fluttering flight.

Range and Habitat

Bushtit: Resident from extreme southwestern British Columbia, southern Idaho, southwestern Wyoming, and the Oklahoma panhandle southward. The preferred habitats include coastal forests among second-growth alder thickets and edges of coniferous forests composed of maple, dogwood, and birch.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"tsip", "pit"

Interesting Facts

 Bushtits travels in flocks of up to 60 birds until breeding season when they break off into pairs.

 The nest is an impressive, woven, hanging basket with a hole high up on the side of the nest and a passageway to the nest chamber at the bottom. It can be up to a foot long, and is generally built of spider webs, moss, lichen, and other plant material.

 Both the male and female will incubate the eggs, sometimes even at the same time.

 This bird often has helpers at the nest, birds other than the parental pair that feed nestlings. All family members sleep together in the complex nest during breeding, but they leave it after the young fledge, and sleep on branches.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Splitbar
Range Map for Bushit

Related Birds

Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Juniper Titmouse
Wrentit
Oak Titmouse
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Verdin
Bridled Titmouse
Mountain Chickadee
.
Family Bushtit (Aegithalidae)_blue
Species Psaltriparus minimus
Length4.5 Inches
Wingspan7 Inches

Bushtit

Bushtit: Tiny, acrobatic bird with gray-brown upperparts and paler underparts. Eyes are dark brown, bill is tiny, and tail is long. Pacific coast race has brown crown. Rocky Mountain race has gray cap and brown ear patch. South New Mexico/Texas race has black mask, ear patch. Weak fluttering flight.

● Song: "tsip", "pit"

● Foraging & Feeding: Bushtit: Feeds on insects and spiders; also small fruit seeds.

● Breeding & nesting: Bushtit: Five to seven white eggs are laid in a hanging, gourd-shaped nest with a side entrance near the top; nest is made of soft plant wool and lichens, and suspended in a bush or tree. Both parents incubate eggs for approximately 12 days.

● Similar species: Bushtit: Juniper Titmouse and Oak Titmouse are larger and have head tufts and larger bills. Juvenile Verdin has shorter tail, gray-brown upperparts, and gray-brown wash on its sides.

Flight Pattern

Weak fluttering flights of short duration.
Bushtit Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Bushtit: Resident from extreme southwestern British Columbia, southern Idaho, southwestern Wyoming, and the Oklahoma panhandle southward. The preferred habitats include coastal forests among second-growth alder thickets and edges of coniferous forests composed of maple, dogwood, and birch.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
Population
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight0.2 Ounces
Perching-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
CapX
The area on top of the head of the bird.
CrownX
The crown is the top part of the birds head.
Ear patchX
Consists of soft, loose-webbed feathers on the side of the bird's head below and behind the eyes.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX