Eurasian Penduline Tit

It used to be called the Rémiz Blue Tit, but it is not a real tit. It has its own family, the Remizidae, named after the Remiz genus. The Eurasian Penduline Tit is a small bird, slightly smaller than a Blue Tit for example and more slender. Here we will describe the European subspecies pendulinus, one of the 4 that make up the species.
The adult is easy to recognize and sexual dimorphism is slight. The head of the adult male is a very light grey with a black band that starts from the forehead and widens around the eyes and ears. Above the black, a narrow light brown line can be noted on the forehead. The iris is a very dark brown. The beak is triangular and thin from the side view and grey. In the adult female, the grey is darker. The black band is narrower and barely covers the forehead. A one-year old male can be confused with a female.
On the upper parts, the mantle and wings of bright chestnut color, slightly less bright in the female, stand out. The primary and secondary feathers have a wide pale edging.
The lower parts are a more or less pronounced fawn depending on the season. This shade even covers the head in the inter-nuptial season. The strong and clawed feet are dark grey.
The juvenile looks a lot like a winter adult, but with a less vivid upper part and without black on the head. The beak is paler. In the caspius subspecies of SW Russia, the grey on the head is replaced with a warm brown on the crown, slightly lighter on the nape, a brown that is found again on the mantle. The throat is cream. One could think to have another species of Remiz.