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Eurwentala β Reedling
#bird #finland #wildlife #passerine #bearded_tit
Published: 2016-09-06 17:40:13 +0000 UTC; Views: 2249; Favourites: 116; Downloads: 0
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Description
I still have trouble wrapping my head around painting. I can draw stuff, sure, but painting is different. So I tried again with our brand new Cintiq today. It turned out... not terrible, I think.The bearded reedling or bearded tit (Panurus biarmicus) is a unique small bird, the only species in its own family. It only lives in large reed beds, where it feeds on reed aphids in the summer, and reed seeds during winter. It also builds its nest in the reeds, using dried reed leaves as material. It's whole existence is pretty much based on a single species of plant! Only a few hundred pairs nest in Finland, and because reed beds are not very accessible, the birds are rarely seen. I was lucky enough to meet a small flock last summer in a birding spot, where people have built duckboards through the reeds. It instantly became one of my favourite birds!
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Comments: 27
I like the pinging sound they make, reed bed birds are always really sneaky like bitterns and water railsΒ
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I think the light colors work pretty well together. I also like the round shapes and nice feather texture
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Thanks! 
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Thank you; it's Mango as a youth
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What a lovely little tit*snickers like a 12 year old*
But really hes very cutie and I love him.
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My boyfriend never gets tired of joking about "great tits" either.
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Wow, that is really nice! And interesting birds.
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Wow so many times you must have typed the word 'reed'
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Haha, nine times to be exact. 
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Oh wow, i hate when that happens
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Cool birds, they always remind me of long-tailed tits. I haven't seen them yet here (I doubt they come here often) but we have a little bit of reed in the neighbourhood. Didn't know they were so specialised.
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Yeah, the long-tailed tit is another cute oddball, and one of my favourites. Both are only occasionally seen, but always a delight.
According to the IUCN distribution map, the reedling should live in your country too: maps.iucnredlist.org/map.html?β¦ though it does need fairly large reedbeds to stay longer than a brief visit.
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Long-tailed tits live here in quite an abundance. If you randomly go into a forest there's a big chance a group crosses your path.
Ah, that's only the northern provinces. I live right below them and the bit of reedbeds we have aren't that big.Β
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Cool! Long-tailed tits are a lot less common in Finland. It's probably because many of them die during harsh winters. Their population crashes and then bounces back frequently. It's always a delight to see them.
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Oh, didn't know they have such a hard time during winter.Β
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Both the bearded reedling and the long-tailed tit apparently suffer during cold winters. They're among the smallest year-round resident birds in Northern Europe, and not all that well adapted to these weathers. Luckily, the goldcrest and the Eurasian wren have enough sense to migrate south.
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Yeah, those are even smaller. Better for them to just get out of there.
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Yeah, it is. Luckily for the reedling, the common reed (Phragmites australis) is one of the most widespread plants in the world.
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