Aegithalos caudatus Eating Frozen Maple Syrup | Long-tailed Tit

This is a long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus) hovering in front of an icicle formed from the sap of a painted maple tree (Acer pictum). During winter months, small birds like this make use of this calorie-rich food source (essentially frozen maple syrup) to fuel their high metabolisms. The birds fly to an icicle, hover, break off a piece and fly away, all in the blink of eye. This is a delicate operation. Sometimes the birds fail to break off a piece, as seen in this series of four photographs. Image 3 in a sequence of 4.

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Filename: long-tailed-tit-aegithalos-caudatus-202002-08834.tif
Copyright: Copyright Tony Wu. All rights reserved. No duplication, reproduction or usage without prior written permission.
Image Size: 8256x5504 / 130.2MB; https://www.photoshelter.com/support/license#rm; https://www.tony-wu.com/contact-tony-wu; Bird Animalia Chordata Aves Passeriformes Aegithalidae Aegithalos caudatus Long-tailed Bushtit Long-tailed Tit Silver-throated Dasher Shima Enaga Silver-throated Tit Pacific Japan Hokkaido
Contained in galleries: Japan

This is a long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus) hovering in front of an icicle formed from the sap of a painted maple tree (Acer pictum). During winter months, small birds like this make use of this calorie-rich food source (essentially frozen maple syrup) to fuel their high metabolisms. The birds fly to an icicle, hover, break off a piece and fly away, all in the blink of eye. This is a delicate operation. Sometimes the birds fail to break off a piece, as seen in this series of four photographs. Image 3 in a sequence of 4.