Farmers, gardeners and arachnophobes alike should delight in seeing flocks of bushtits flitting around their trees and hedgerows. These tiny birds are primarily insectivorous: eating large numbers of minute insects which they glean off of leaves and other foliage. Flocks of up to 40 birds move quickly through branches, constantly eating a diet that includes a number of crop pests: scale insects, caterpillars, beetles, moth larvae and ants.
Bushtits need to eat 80% of their body weight each day to keep up with their speedy metabolisms when weather is warm- they eat even more when it cools down. According to a study from 1907, bushtits in California had diets that consisted of 81% insect matter through most of the year, and which increased to 100% insect matter in the spring. This means that one bushtit eats over 3 pounds of insect matter every year- which is the equivalent of eating 908,000 ants! Have a flock of 40 birds frequenting your farm? They'll eat over 120 pounds of insect matter in a year!
Bushtits need to eat 80% of their body weight each day to keep up with their speedy metabolisms when weather is warm- they eat even more when it cools down. According to a study from 1907, bushtits in California had diets that consisted of 81% insect matter through most of the year, and which increased to 100% insect matter in the spring. This means that one bushtit eats over 3 pounds of insect matter every year- which is the equivalent of eating 908,000 ants! Have a flock of 40 birds frequenting your farm? They'll eat over 120 pounds of insect matter in a year!
Bushtits may also be the cutest birds out there- Their social mannerisms and tendency to seek warmth from their friends mean that they like to snuggle. Plus, they are tiny and fluffy.
Weighing in at just under the weight of a newly minted quarter (5.5g), bushtits have a hard time staying warm when temperatures drop. During the breeding season, families sleep together in their warm, fuzzy, hanging nests which are made from lichen, moss, fur, feathers, leaves and spiders webs (which provide a good amount of stretchy resilience). Even their home construction techniques are cute. Nests are built by creating a 'platform' out of spider webs in which one of the adult birds will sit to stretch it into a bowl shape- the pair will continue adding spider webs and other materials until the pendulum nest is large enough to accommodate their new family. A pair of bushtits work for an average of one month to build their nest.
Weighing in at just under the weight of a newly minted quarter (5.5g), bushtits have a hard time staying warm when temperatures drop. During the breeding season, families sleep together in their warm, fuzzy, hanging nests which are made from lichen, moss, fur, feathers, leaves and spiders webs (which provide a good amount of stretchy resilience). Even their home construction techniques are cute. Nests are built by creating a 'platform' out of spider webs in which one of the adult birds will sit to stretch it into a bowl shape- the pair will continue adding spider webs and other materials until the pendulum nest is large enough to accommodate their new family. A pair of bushtits work for an average of one month to build their nest.
Females will lay 1-2 clutches of eggs each year, with an average of 6 eggs in each clutch. At some nests, 'helper' birds will join the original breeding pair. These helpers are often adult birds who either do not have mates of their own or who have lost their nest. Because nest-building takes so long, birds that lose their nest after egg-laying sometimes do not build a new nest- and instead either try to steal a neighbors nest, or to join a neighbors nest. If the established pair will let helpers in, the new birds get a warm place to cozy up and sleep. Helper females may get the chance to lay eggs in the second clutch, and helper males may get to fertilize eggs in the first or second clutch (if he can keep ahead of the established male). The established pair, in turn, gets help with feeding and caring for their chicks.
Fortunately, bushtits are a relatively common species in California and are not of conservation concern at present. Because bushtits prefer to feed and nest in trees, retaining and replanting riparian areas, hedgerows, and trees around buildings will help increase their abundance on your property. Bushtits generally move as they eat, so they are less likely to fly across large open expanses to reach trees. They will venture through orchards and into fields from nearby trees.
Farm Rating: Friends year-round.
The video below shows a pair of bushtits working on their nest. Note that females have white eyes and males have brown eyes.
Fortunately, bushtits are a relatively common species in California and are not of conservation concern at present. Because bushtits prefer to feed and nest in trees, retaining and replanting riparian areas, hedgerows, and trees around buildings will help increase their abundance on your property. Bushtits generally move as they eat, so they are less likely to fly across large open expanses to reach trees. They will venture through orchards and into fields from nearby trees.
Farm Rating: Friends year-round.
The video below shows a pair of bushtits working on their nest. Note that females have white eyes and males have brown eyes.
Further reading:
Sloane, Sarah A. 2001. Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/598
Sloane, Sarah A. 2001. Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the Birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/598