Long-Tailed Titmice: Aegithalidae

One species of titmice, the bushtits, can be found in western North America, from the northernmost parts of British Columbia to the southern regions of Mexico. Five species are found in the Himalayas, and mountainous regions of western China. Long-tailed tits, the species that is most common, have a range from Western Europe and Asia, to China and Japan. Pygmy tits, the smallest titmice species, can only be found on the Indonesian island of Java.

Long-tailed titmice are primarily insectivores, eating insects, their larvae, the newly hatched wingless form of insects, and eggs, spiders, and other invertebrates, animals without backbones, and sometime eating fruit, primarily berries, and seeds. They show remarkable skill in the use of their bodies and limbs. These titmice are at ease even when hanging from the thinnest branches, as they hold their food with one claw and nibble at it with their stubby bill.

Bushtits are common visitors to garden feeders. Other long-tailed titmice do not visit feeders, but are often observed in garden trees and in parks and remain popular with birdwatchers.