Bushtit

Bushtit

(Psaltriparus minimus)

  • Size: 2.8-3.1" long
  • Diet: small insects and spiders
  • Seasonal Habits: Migrate in winter
  • Temperament: Aggressive to other birds

Bushtits are sprightly, social songbirds that twitter as they fly weakly between shrubs and thickets in western North America. Almost always found in lively flocks, they move constantly, often hanging upside down to pick at insects or spiders on the undersides of leaves. Flocks of Bushtits mix with similar small songbirds like warblers, chickadees, and kinglets while foraging. Bushtits weave a very unusual hanging nest, shaped like a soft pouch or sock, from moss, spider webs, and grasses.