This handsome creature is found in reedbeds across Eurasia. They are small and distinctive, recognizable from the nasal calls they make as they fly low above the reeds, and their unusual shape, with rotund bodies, long tails and striking colors. While more commonly known as the bearded reedling or the bearded tit, they are also known as the roundest bird in the world.
From a side-on perspective, the unique shape of the bearded reedling is not immediately clear. Front on, however, when balancing between reeds, the peculiar shape of this bird becomes clear.
Angry Birds is one of the most popular games to have ever graced the App Store, but the birds always appeared entirely fictional. The Finnish developers may, however, have taken some inspiration from the bearded reedling, which is found in southern Finland.
The male and female species look different to each other, with varying color patterns and features. Males have a bluish-grey head, a yellow bill, a grey breast and a distinctive black ‘moustache’. Their bellies and undercarriages are orange. Females are less colorful, predominantly brown and without a moustache. Both have pointy brown tails. Young bearded reedlings look similar to the females, with brighter colors appearing in older age.
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When flying, they often move in small groups, gliding low above the ground and communicating with each other through “chews” and “clicks”.
Bearded reedlings are small birds, measuring a length of just around 5 in (13.5 cm), with a wingspan of 6.8 in (17cm) and weighing in between 0.4 oz to 0.8 oz (12 g to 18 g). It only adds to their sweetness.
The more you look at them, they seem to be among the world’s cutest birds, as well as the roundest.
