cross-posted from: https://lemmygrad.ml/post/4399464

The American bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) or simply bushtit is a social songbird belonging to the genus Psaltriparus. It is one of the smallest passerines in North America and it is the only species in the family Aegithalidae that is found in United States; the other seven species are found in Eurasia. Tiny, kinglet-sized birds. They are plump and large-headed, with a long tail and a short, stubby bill. Plain brown and gray overall, but plumage color varies geographically. Bushtits usually inhabits mixed open woodlands, which contains oaks and a scrubby chaparral understory. It can also be found residing in gardens and parks. Bushtits eat mostly small insects, and can be hard to attract to feeders. You can help make your yard inviting to them by planting native shrubs and small trees. The main predators that the Bushtit has to worry about are the sharp-shinned hawk and other birds. Bushtits are active birds that use lots of contact calls, but they don’t really have a song. Occasionally, several individuals gathered together make a long, drawn-out series of quiet twitters and chips. Bushtits make several kinds of short, high, wispy contact calls or chip notes. These help group members know where flockmates are. They can intensify to indicate nesting activities or when mobbing predators or confronting opponents. Individuals that get separated from a group make a rapid series of high-pitched chip notes that carries well. Here is a link so you can listen to this bird as well