Aegithalos iouschistos
The Black-browed Bushtit (*Aegithalos iouschistos*) is a charismatic and diminutive passerine belonging to the family Aegithalidae, commonly known as Long-tailed Tits. Measuring approximately 11-12 cm in length and weighing a mere 5-8 grams, this species is instantly recognizable by its distinctive black 'eyebrow' stripe contrasting against a dark grey crown, a white throat, and warm rufous coloration on its flanks and belly. Its compact body, long tail, and active demeanor are characteristic...
Found exclusively in high-altitude montane forests, preferring dense broadleaf, mixed deciduous-coniferous, or pure coniferous forests, often with a significant understory of rhododendron thickets, typically between 2,000-4,000 meters (6,500-13,000 feet) in elevation.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a variety of small insects, their larvae, eggs, and spiders. Forages by actively gleaning prey from foliage, branches, and tree bark.
Highly gregarious outside the breeding season, Black-browed Bushtits form cohesive flocks of up to 30 individuals, frequently merging into larger, active mixed-species foraging parties with other tits, warblers, and babblers. They are diurnal and acrobatic foragers, constantly gleaning small inse...
The Black-browed Bushtit is a resident species distributed across the eastern Himalayas and adjacent mountainous regions of South Asia and Southeast Asia. Its range extends from north-central Nepal eastward through Bhutan, the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern Myanmar, and into sout...
Least Concern
- One of the smallest passerines in its Himalayan range, often weighing less than a quarter of an ounce. - Renowned for forming some of the largest and most active mixed-species foraging flocks in the high-altitude forests. - Their intricately woven, domed nests are masterfully camouflaged with l...