Aegithalos concinnus
The Black-throated Bushtit, *Aegithalos concinnus*, is a captivating and diminutive songbird native to the Asian subcontinent. Measuring a mere 10-11 cm in length, including its disproportionately long tail, and weighing 4-9 grams, it is easily identified by its striking plumage: a prominent black throat patch, usually bordered by white, and rich rufous or chestnut flanks and vent contrasting with a white belly. Crown coloration varies by subspecies, ranging from deep black to chestnut or ruf...
Found primarily in subtropical and temperate broadleaf or mixed montane forests, often with a dense understory, at elevations generally ranging from 600 to 3500 meters.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on small invertebrates such as insects and spiders, which they glean actively from foliage and bark; occasionally consumes small seeds and berries.
Black-throated Bushtits are highly social, active diurnal birds, rarely seen alone. Outside the breeding season, they form large, noisy flocks of up to 40 individuals, frequently joining mixed-species foraging parties, often acting as a 'nuclear' species around which other insectivores gather. Th...
The Black-throated Bushtit occupies a vast geographic distribution across the Asian subcontinent, extending from the western Himalayas, through northern India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, eastward across Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam, and north into southern China, including Taiwan. Thi...
Least Concern
- The Black-throated Bushtit is renowned for its elaborate, deep, purse-shaped nest, meticulously woven from moss, lichen, spider silk, and plant fibers, and often camouflaged with external decorations. - These tiny birds frequently engage in cooperative breeding, where non-breeding 'helper' bird...