Sooty Bushtit (Aegithalos fuliginosus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Sooty Bushtit

Aegithalos fuliginosus (Verreaux, J, 1869)

≈10 cmLength5.7 gWeight

It has a brown body and a white collar around the neck, and forages in flocks in mountain woodland.

Busiest months: May · Most records: China

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Brownish overall
  2. A white collar around the neck

Where and when it's recorded

Sooty Bushtit has been recorded at 52 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Tangjiahe NNRChina139 records
  2. Jiuzhaigou NNRChina51 records
  3. Lamasery, WolongChina38 records
More places
  1. Dalaoling National Forest ParkChina37 records
  2. Foping NNR – Sanguanmiao Research StationChina23 records
  3. Wuyipeng Research StationChina22 records
  4. Wolong Giant Panda Museum and ReserveChina22 records
  5. Tangjiahe NNR – Yingping Historic TrailChina21 records
  6. Foping NNR – Liangfengya [2100m]China20 records
  7. Shennongjia NP [General Area]China18 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The sooty bushtit (Aegithalos fuliginosus), also known as the sooty tit, white-necklaced tit or white-necklaced bushtit, is a small passerine bird in the bushtit family Aegithalidae. It is endemic to central China, where it inhabits foothill and montane forests. It is a social bird and forages in flocks, often with other bird species.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Sooty Bushtit?

The Sooty Bushtit is about ≈10 cm long and weighs around 5.7 g.

Where does the Sooty Bushtit live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: north-central China. It is most often recorded in China.

When is the best time to see the Sooty Bushtit?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Sooty Bushtit endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Sooty Bushtit as Least Concern.

What does the Sooty Bushtit eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Sooty Bushtit in?

It belongs to the family Bushtits (Aegithalidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
≈10 cm
Weight
5.7 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Perches in trees
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
55 mm
Tail
57 mm
Bill
8 mm
Tarsus
16 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: north-central China

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Bushtits Aegithalidae
Genus
Aegithalos

Other birds in the genus Aegithalos

Long-tailed TitLong-tailed TitAegithalos caudatusSilver-throated BushtitSilver-throated BushtitAegithalos glaucogularisWhite-cheeked BushtitWhite-cheeked BushtitAegithalos leucogenysPygmy BushtitPygmy BushtitAegithalos exilisBlack-throated BushtitBlack-throated BushtitAegithalos concinnusWhite-throated BushtitWhite-throated BushtitAegithalos niveogularisRufous-fronted BushtitRufous-fronted BushtitAegithalos iouschistosBlack-browed BushtitBlack-browed BushtitAegithalos bonvalotiWhite-browed Tit-warblerWhite-browed Tit-warblerLeptopoecile sophiaeCrested Tit-warblerCrested Tit-warblerLeptopoecile elegans
Sooty Bushtit

Download illustration

Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by ybenson. ↗

WebP · 1070 px

Heard it but can't see it? Mingji identifies birds by sound and photo, on your phone.

In other languages