Bushtits

Have you ever looked out at your suet feeder only to see it covered in small greyish birds? Those are Bushtits, and they are a very social group during the winter months. Bushtits travel around in flocks of 40+ birds and only have one goal: food. Typically, bushtits feed on insects and can be spotted bouncing around in shrubs and trees looking for their next meal. While they primarily go for insects, you can find the bushtits at your suet feeder and even sometimes going for the hulled sunflower and peanuts as a supplementary food supply. As they are very social birds, you are likely to see ten or twelve of them on your suet feeder at once, before they fly off for the next group of twelve. Once the flock has fed, they are off as quickly as they came. 

Bushtits are commonly—and accurately—described as small grey birds without any field markings that are always on the move. They are about 4 inches in size, slightly smaller than a chickadee, with a tail that looks long compared to their body. The bushtits are grey with a bit of a brownish colour on their head, and no other field markings. They have tiny bills, smaller than those of a chickadee. Bushtits are always moving, and they are also chattering to each other constantly with short tseep and tsip calls. Often you can hear them high in the treetops long before you see them.

When spring arrives, Bushtits pair up for nesting and become more territorial. Bushtit nests are a unique 'sack' shape that hangs below a branch. They weave their nests together from the top down. with the entrance hole at the top. Bushtits nests are between seven and ten inches long, and take roughly thirty days to construct. They build their nests with fine fibers, leaves, grass, and spider webs, and cover it with moss for camouflage. The inside of the nest is lined with feathers, plant down, and hair. Bushtits nests are often not well hidden and can be spotted alongside trails and paths if you look closely. Do be cautious, as bushtits get nervous during nesting season and if they are disturbed while they build their nests or incubate their eggs, they will often abandon the nest and separate from their chosen partner to start over somewhere else. 

Keep an eye out for these energetic birds at your backyard suet feeder or in trees and shrubs, as they are a great joy to watch flit about. 

Good birding!