Pygmy Bushtit

The pygmy bushtit (Aegithalos exilis), also called the pygmy tit, is the smallest species of passerine bird. It is in the Aegithalidae family, containing the long-tailed tits. This drab-coloured bird is endemic to Indonesia, where it is only found in montane forests on the island of Java. It is a social songbird, living in small flocks, and a popular bird among bird watchers at Mt Gede and its adjacent botanical gardens. Relative to other members of the Aegithalidae family, it is not well studied and much remains unknown. == Taxonomy == The pygmy bushtit was first described by Dutch naturalist Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1836 in the third volume of his book "Nouveau recueil de planches coloriées d'oiseaux". The pygmy tit was originally put in the monotypic genus Psaltria, until a genetic study in 2016 showed they are nested in the Aegithalos genus, with their closest relative being the black-throated bushtit (Aegithalos concinnu). Today, many books and articles still have the pygmy tit listed in the genus Psaltria. The term Psaltria translates to "female harpist" in Latin. This could be a reference to the pygmy tits voice. The term Aegithalos was used by Aristotle to describe three species of European…