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Eurasian penduline tit

Diputación de Málaga
GR 249 Etapa 15 Pájaro moscón europeo (Remiz pendulinus)

Eurasian penduline tit

Common nameEurasian penduline tit
Scientific nameRemiz pendulinus
HabitatsWetlands, River and Riverside
TypeAcuáticas
StatusEstival
Present
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wintering Summer Resident Migration
Animal Life > Birds

Small bird (approx 11 cm or 4.5 in). Brown upperparts with a black border. Also brown underparts, more clear and diffuse on the breast. White or grey head and throat, with a striking black mask in males. Females with paler upperparts.

Where it lives

Species of banks of medium and low sections of rivers, streams, lakes and ponds in which tree vegetation (willows, poplars and elms) is combined with dense reedbeds.

How it lives

Wintering and summer bird in the province with non-resident populations that are replaced. Also individuals in passage. It makes one annual laying of 5 to 8 eggs. Extremely complex nest, located at the end of some branch of willow or poplar and built by weaving plant fibers to give shape to a globose structure externally covered by white fluff. Males build the nest before they mate and use their weavering skills as a sexual trait. It feeds on small invertebrates and plant matter (sprouts and willow seeds).

Where it can be seen in Malaga

Frequent species during the winter in the fertile plains of the Vélez and Guadalhorce rivers and in low sections of coastal rivers, such as the Guadaiza. As a breeder, it is present occasionally in the Vélez river and more permanently in the Malaga section of the Genil river, in Cuevas Bajas and Cuevas de San Marcos (stages 14 and 15 of the Great Path, also in stage 30).

Curious facts

These tits' nests look like socks or bags that hang from the branches of willows and poplars. Males are polygamous and can build up to three or four nests per season. They start construction but do not finish it until the female accepts them. That's when, in collaboration with her, they finish the nest by weaving an exit and entry funnel that also closes when the bird enters and opens when it comes out, like a folding door. The nests are made of vegetable fibre, very elastic and resistant. They withstand winds of up to 80 km/h (up to 50 mph).

More information