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The long-tailed tit belongs to the long-tailed tit or bushtit (Aegathalidae) family, all the other of our tits to the Paridae family.

 

It can’t be confused with any other of our birds: the tail is as long as the little bird’s rounded head and body. The head, neck and breast of the bird are shining white, the belly and flank feathers have a rosy sheen. Little black eyes like buttons in the white head, and a tiny little beak. The tail feathering is black with white edges as are the flight feathers. The feathers on shoulders, back and the underside of the tail are a darker greyish-pink. This is what the adult birds look like. The cheeks, neck and back of juvenile birds are dark brown and the pink colours in the plumage are absent.

 

They can be seen in very varying stands of trees, even in cities. For insect eaters the beak is astonishingly small, but they make do. The winter number varies widely, from ten thousand up to a hundred thousand birds.