Bushtits Madrona Marsh 3579-2
We tramped the entire marsh. Twice. The Bushtits were little farts. They move so quickly. But I love them. "Appearance is variable, with some individuals possessing black ear-coverts. For many years, the black-eared and the plain-eared forms of the Bushtit were separated into 2 distinct species (Psaltriparus melanotis and P. minimus, respectively). However, it is now clear that the amount of black in the face is a polymorphism, the frequency of which varies geographically. In general, it occurs commonly in the extreme southern populations, is absent in the north, and is more common in males than in females (Raitt 1967)."bna.birds
Bushtits Madrona Marsh 3579-2
We tramped the entire marsh. Twice. The Bushtits were little farts. They move so quickly. But I love them. "Appearance is variable, with some individuals possessing black ear-coverts. For many years, the black-eared and the plain-eared forms of the Bushtit were separated into 2 distinct species (Psaltriparus melanotis and P. minimus, respectively). However, it is now clear that the amount of black in the face is a polymorphism, the frequency of which varies geographically. In general, it occurs commonly in the extreme southern populations, is absent in the north, and is more common in males than in females (Raitt 1967)."bna.birds