Bushtits . . . Small in Size, Big on Benefits on Monday, May 24, 2010

What’s almost as small as a hummingbird, has just as much personality, and can swarm on suet so it looks like you’ve got a locust infestation?

Among the smallest birds in North America, Bushtits are beneficial to Northwest backyards, gleaning large quantities of aphids, beetles, leafhoppers and many other insects.
Bushtits are 3-1/2 inches long with tiny bills and comparatively long tails (half the length of the bird).  With a body shape similar to that of a chickadee, their upper parts are dark gray in color, with a paler gray underside.  The eyes differentiate sexes:  females’ are yellow and males’ are dark.

These gregarious birds spend most of the year in busy flocks of up to 50 birds, staying year-round across much of the western U.S.  As their name implies, Bushtits frequent bushy areas in mixed woods, parks and backyards.  They come to suet feeders year-round, and may build their elaborate, gourd-shaped, sack-like nests nearby.