#long-tailed bushtit

[aishiteru-kenshin]

Shima Enaga, The Snow Fairy of Hokkaidō

The long-tailed bushtit can be found all over Europe and the Palearctic. However, one subspecies, called the shima enaga, lives exclusively in Hokkaidō, Japan's northernmost and second-largest island. It is the pure-white faces of the adult members of this Japanese subspecies that makes them look like very soft, very cute, miniature snowballs and has earned it the affectionate nickname "snow fairy." Also known as the silver-throated dasher, the shima enaga is the second smallest bird in all of Japan. They are a tiny bird, at 12-16cm in length, including their tail at 7-9cm. You will often hear them long before you see them, as they have a constant and high-pitched call. Outside of the breeding season, they live in flocks of 10-20 birds, comprised of both parents and offspring.

[proton-wobbler]

Long-tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)

"puoffy...." "Seeing as how US-centric these polls tend to get, I want to spread awareness of these adorable and social balls of fluff." "round"

This bird was entered as it's nominal species name (Long-tailed Tit), as well as two of the subspecies (Shima Enaga and Korean Crow-tit/Baepsae)

The long-tailed tit was originally described with other chickadees and its, but has been split into its own family (Aegithalidae) with Pygmy and American Bushtit. There are 17 subspecies, which are broken into three separate groups: The caudatus group of nothern Europe and Asia; the europaeus group in southern and western Europe, north-east China, and Japan; and the alpinus group of Mediterranean Europe and south-west Asia.

These birds are incredibly social, forming small flocks of six to up to seventeen birds after the breeding season. Typically the parents and offspring of a season stick together, along with any other adults who helped to raise the brood. The primary thought behind the grouping up is that these small birds are very susceptible to cold and cuddling together through the night keeps them safe and warm.

During the breeding season, the birds split into monogamous pairs, with males remaining in the same territory that they'll overwinter while females typically wander to other territories. If the nest fails, the pair may try a second time, or help a neighboring nest. If they decide to help another nest, the pair will split and each will find a male relative (recognized by voice) to help. These nests with extra helpers often have greater success due to higher provisioning and better nest defense.

Sources:

Image Source: eBird ( Katarina Paunovic)

[crypitd]

Long-tailed Tit tired on a Sleepy Bird Sunday

»   Etsy  •  Various Links   «

© Harlen Chen

[heather-rajendran]

Long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus) photos I took on Sunday 08/10/2023, Wintersett, West Yorkshire, UK

[mutant-distraction]

The long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus),

also named long-tailed bushtit, is a

common bird found throughout Europe and the Palearctic

⁃ Photo Courtesy of Nakatsuka, Hajime

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Juvenile bushtits

A bushtit is a tiny gray bird with a long tail. Females have white eyes. Look for these small fliers in the western mountains and forests.

COURTESY Jennifer Landahl

[podcastwizard]

more tits please :) especially the little white fuzzy ones :))))

Those are a subspecies of the long-tailed bushtit native to Japan called "Shima Enaga." They have also been nicknamed "Snow Fairies!"

[bird-of-the-day]

BOTD: Long-Tailed Tit

^Image credit: Francis C. Franklin

Long-Tailed Tit (Aegithalos caudatus)

Despite their name, Long-Tailed Tits aren't actually true Tit birds, rather belonging to a similar genus Aegithalos, the Bushtits. Their nest are elaborately constructed with spider's webs, lichen, feathers, and moss, with over 6000 pieces used for a typical nest. In cold weather, they tend to huddle together for warmth.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

The Shima Enaga, a Japanese bird who looks like a ball of cotton.

The Shima Enaga is a subspecies of the long-tailed bushtit found in mainland Japan and it can only be seen in Hokkaido.

The “shima” in the Japanese name of shima-enaga means Hokkaido and “enaga” means the long handle of a ladle.

They are also known as the silver-throated tit or silver-throated dasher.

They are tiny birds (at 12-16 cm in length, including their tail at 7-9 cm). Males and females are identical.

They live in the forests, mountains, and parks. Their staple food is insects and tree sap.

They are also called “snow fairies” because of their adorable appearance.

In winter, to protect themselves from the cold, they inflate themselves by trapping air between their feathers, which makes them fluffier.

[justfollowyourheartus]

Today's best photo ❤️ 🐦 : long-tailed bushtit 📸 : @DM

[audible-smiles]

it’s an absolute bird party at the feeder this morning! I think our recent snowstorm is making them work harder than usual for their meals. I had a flock of twelve or so bushtits (tiny and round, with disproportionately long tails) going after my suet, and I saw a chestnut-backed chickadee in the vine maple! I practically never run into those guys in the city, but this one was hanging out with his black-capped cousins. the nuthatches, house finches, and goldfinches were out in full force too.

[japandreamscapes]

Hokkaido Nature Tour's Long Tailed Bushtit - the Shima Enaga in our latest newsletter:  #japan #ig_japan #japandreamscapes #blaininjapan #日本 #写真好きな人と繋がりたい #写真 #ファインダー越しの私の世界 #旅行 #旅 #bird #birds #birding #birdingphotography #hokkaido #北海道 #バードウオッチング #シマエナガ

[mclarenyaoi]

Ooo! I have some fursona ideas if you want them! (Feel free to ignore if you don’t)

George is very Gray Heron vibes to me, tall and ~dramatic~. Yuki could be either a Japanese Dormouse or a Japanese Tit. Lewis I think could be a Lesser Kudu (and maybe he got his horns removed and it was a Really Big Deal)

hi anon!!! first of all, congratulations, you're my first ever anon ask on this blog! second of all, that previous thing is pretty much exactly why this is being answered a bit late ^^' i'm terribly sorry about that, i just really wanted to make my answer good!! thank you for giving me these ideas, i love them and i love you, whoever you are <3

this is gonna be a long post so my actual answer to this ask containing all the doodles and commentary will be under the cut. just like last time, all written notes will be transcribed in the alt text since my handwriting isn't particularly legible. apologies in advance for any spelling mistakes or accidental misinformation, i don't have the time or energy to give this post a proper proofread so if anyone finds any errors or needs clarification on anything, please let me know! anyways hope you all find this post enjoyable ^^

first up, grey heron george! i've never drawn a grey heron before, so this was quite fun if a bit complicated

i ended up settling for the mid-length neck in the "final" headshot, but now that i've had more time to think on it, i think i'd choose to draw him with a long neck, tho he'd get some serious cramps after every race. it'd also be funnier as well — herons are, as you said, tall and dramatic... but herons from the front? yeah. blimey indeed.

there's also the matter of how his helmet would fit, esp since you can't exactly go and shave off a man's mouth. i couldn't find a good solution for this; my best idea was that little confused drawing in the corner. it's not a terrific solution by a long shot, but i suppose that's just how it'll be until i (or someone else? this is an open invitation, tho do tag me) come(s) up with a solution

i didn't do a fullbody sketch for grey heron george, but if i did i'd have him stand next to someone for comparison. i guess the question with that is how much his neck would factor into his height since he's plenty tall as is. i did also want to do a dramatic drawing for george, but i was severely struggling to figure out a pose. maybe i'll do one in the future..

next up, yuki. anon, i LOVED these suggestions! i ended up drawing both suggested fursonas bc why not lol. (also, i did assume by "japanese tit" you meant aegithalos caudatus japonicus (called shimaenaga (シマエナガ) in japanese) the white-faced subspecies of the long-tailed bushtit only found in hokkaido, japan) and not parsus minor, since the shimaenaga definitely gives more yuki vibes)

(before i say anything i Just realized 2'58" makes no fucking sense so i need to correct this first — it should be 2'7" ! my bad yall)

i drew yuki as a tit before i drew him as a dormouse so i'll talk abt them in that order

obviously as a creature the shimaenaga is SO very yuki sdkjfh i mean just!! look at ittt!! the definition of borb (bird orb). ngl i was kinda hoping they'd have shrike-like tendencies just bc i love when little cute things kill with brutality, but nope! they're insectivores year-round. shimaenaga are polygynous and lay 7-10 eggs per brood, which is great bc they're vulnerable to cold temperatures and hokkaido has long winters. long-tailed tits typically have facial markings resembling big brows, but this subspecies loses those markings in adulthood, probably to better blend in with the snow. i think i was gonna draw hatchling yuki with big brows at some point, but didn't bc drawing babies is difficult and drawing babies as birds is even more difficult lmao. you might notice that i chose to go the beastars route with anthropomorphic animals and gave bird yuki humanoid limbs and no wings. why did i choose to do this? well. i am not great at drawing bird legs and i didn't feel like drawing them here

the japanese dormouse has an avg length of less than 8cm (3.15in) with a tail of 6cm (2.4in). they're omnivores, with a diet consisting of fruit, nuts, insects, spiders, bird eggs and nestlings, and small rodents—even other dormice, hence my little comment abt cannibalism. again, i like it when little cute things kill with brutality. i think this works better for yuki, who i personally see as being small but mighty, though it's not like it doesn't work to make him a particularly vulnerable animal. rise against the odds and all that

regardless of whichever animal you (widely encompassing) or i choose to draw yuki as, i find yuki as a small prey animal to be v interesting. both the shimaenaga and japanese dormouse are small and agile creatures, and fitting a small animal with yuki's personality is compelling to me (which is not to say i buy into the narrative of yuki being particularly explosive or having anger issues, bc i don't believe in nor stand for that lol). for the purpose of the narrative, i love you small but stubborn animals that can and will bite you!

before i move on please appreciate pierre and yuki in the corner, i am forever and always a citizen of yukierre nation

ok last and anything but least, lewis! i'll admit, anon, i was a bit confused at first why you specifically picked the lesser kudu for lewis, but after seeing a comparison of the greater and lesser kudus.. i get it. lesser kudus look cooler (more markings) and i enjoy that

so, pretty clear timeline here. a headshot of lewis in the present, what lewis would look like with horns (i spent. so long on this. completely on accident bc i wanted the horns to look good and then had to make the rest of it look like it matched asgjfkh), what lewis looked like in ~2007, lewis post-surgery (complete horn removal), and then a sketch of lewis smiling bc i like his smile \(^u^)/

(btw, while you're here, there are only ~100k lesser kudu left in the world due to over-hunting and habitat destruction, so. figure i could stand to add a link to the african wildlife foundation page on kudus, where you can find a donation button in the corner)

anon, what you said abt lewis' horn removal being a really big deal... ough it had me thinkinggg. i think the symbolism in permanently sawing off a part of yourself to fit a mold is sooo intriguing (tho not completely matching w/ lewis' story, i think as a general concept it fucks) and also represents the sacrifices needed to be part of motorsport, particularly from a young age. pecora would need to either cut off or greatly shorten the length of their cranial appendage in order to fit their head in a helmet — technically you could like, cut holes in your helmet, but then if you have a serious crash it'd probably be a near-certain fatality due to the bone and blood and nerves in there, in addition to the obvious danger of having a heavy bone object potentially crushing into your skull. there's only a few species of pecora where having a cranial appendage isn't a sexually dimorphic thing (eg caribou, reindeer, cattle, wildebeest) so having big horns is largely a sign of masculinity, hence why lewis initially kept as much of his horns as he could (there's probably some regulation for how large horns can be before they become a danger)

so with that being said, when lewis removes his horns entirely, it causes some uproar since he's effectively socially emasculating himself on purpose. there's definitely shitty articles written about it left and right, angrily bullshitting about how it's a sign that this is the end of masculine pecora (it's not) or that regulations have gone too far (no one made him do it) or that lewis is a bad role model (nope) or whatever the hell. lewis gives like One statement on it, smth abt how he did it for his own comfort and nothing else, how it doesn't emasculate him (bc it doesn't, anyone can do whatever well-informed decision forever and it can mean fuck all if you want it to mean fuck all, Truly who give a shit), and again more shitty articles quote it. etc etc usual circlejerk of illiterate media "journalism" continues until it dies down once something else happens. idk, smth like that, i didn't go to fucking school for math realistic furry-verse timeline creation

asdkjfh oh my god THANK YOU SO MUCH to anyone who's read this whole thing, please let me know your thoughts and opinions or if i made any errors. anon, i appreciate you immensely, i am so terribly sorry for the rambling but i hope you found this post interesting!

[happyvalkyrieofdoom]

I've noticed that since last year or so we have much more different species of birds that were never seen in our neighbourhood before suddenly appearing (like long-tailed bushtits [raniuszki]), we also have much more birds of prey in the area (especially since last autumn) and I wonder if that's a good thing because that shows that we have more biological diversity in the area or is that a bad sign because it means that they're losing their natural habitats and have to move nearer to the places where people live ☹️