The Bushtit, Psaltriparus minimus, is one of my nemesis birds. I’ve been walking trails on the coast and have people in front of me and behind say, "There goes one." But, I’ll be looking the wrong way every time.
It lives on the west coast of North America, mostly in moist forest and scrub understory. It is a small songbird and the only one in the Aegithalidae in the Western Hemisphere.
Classification:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Aegithalidae
Genus: Psaltriparus
Species: P. minimus
Photos:
Girls on a wire
"A couple of female Bushtits waiting their turn at the suet feeder."
Photo courtesy of mgsbird
Bushtit
"The most carefully-pronounced name in American birding! 
Tiny (<6 in.) unusual bird with lots of cool facts (courtesy Cornell’s All About Birds website): * The Bushtit often has helpers at the nest, birds other than the parental pair that feed nestlings. * All family members sleep together in the complex nest during breeding, but they leave it after the young fledge, and sleep on branches. * Males have dark eyes; females’ eyes turn yellow about a month after hatching."
Photo courtesy of Geoff Coe
Bushtit
Photo courtesy of hearman
Bushtit
"Photo was taken on February 2, 2006 at 10:59am in Edmonds, Washington Canon 1D Mark II N camera; Canon 400mm F/4 DO IS lens + Tamron 1.4x TC @ F/4, 1/250 second, ISO 400"
Photo courtesy of janruss
See more photos by Janruss.
Video:
Commentary:
Bushtit In An Oak Tree - Skywatch Friday #24 | The Birders Report
A Bushtit Foraging In An Oak Tree On Christmas Morning by Larry Jordan When I went out this beautiful Christmas morning, I had an oak tree just teaming with. Read more…
It’s quite difficult to watch a flock of Bushtits descend upon a block of suet on a cold winter’s day and not think of all the old Warner Brothers cartoon scenes of a pack of mice on a hunk of cheese. Wingscapes 013 alt crop … Read more…
the last time i was in, i was cleaning out the avery of a bushtit. this little bird had originally come in with 2 other siblings. babies that lost their mom to most likely a cat. this little fellow has been there for about 2 months now … Read more…
The tiny, and the Trumpeters « Towheeblog
bushtit I was pleased to see my first Bushtits, not only for the year, but for weeks. I have been worrying quietly that some unseen virus or scourge had started to wipe out our local miniatures. They are our smallest Oregon songbird and … Read more…
Huckleberry Days: Bushtits: a temperature sensitive species
The Bushtit is one species that is probably having a hard time right now. According to Campbell et al. in The Birds of British Columbia, Bushtits are sensitive to temperatures below O C. If so, then the weather we have had over the last … Read more…
