The Bearded Reedling or, as known by their more popular name, the Bearded Tit are small, round songbirds that are as talented as they are adorable. Unlike Humpty-Dumpty, their egg-shaped bodies don’t prevent them from being nimble.

These beautiful birds were first documented in the book Systema Naturae(1758) by Swedish Botanist Carl Linnaeus. After long years of study and research, the Bearded Tit (Panurus biarmicus) was classified under the Panarus genus.

The etymology of the word Panurus comes from the Greek terms ‘panu’ meaning ‘exceedingly’ and ‘ουρά’ which translates to tail. The term perfectly describes the long tail found on the male and female Bearded Tit.

Aside from their longer-than-normal tail, other distinct characteristics of the male Bearded Reedling are the identical black mustache under their eyes while the females do not exhibit these mustaches, they have darker orange bills than the males.

Their tiny round bodies are brownish-orange in color while their heads are grayish-blue or ash-grey. While similar in coloring, the females are generally paler than the male Bearded Reedlings.

These beautiful birds can be only found in Europe and in East Asia since they are not known to take part in migration. The palm-sized birds are quite sensitive to changes in temperature and prefer temperate climates.

The adorable birds love to chill in reedbeds, swamps, wetland, lakes, and other freshwater habitats.

One of the funniest traits of this bird is its ability to out-split even the most expert gymnast. Believe it or not, they are most relaxed in this position.

Who needs extensive yoga sessions when you’re a Bearded Reedling who can do the perfect split?

Bearded Tit are regarded as monogamous but every now a then, some birds do have another partner.

These wetland birds are prolific breeders who can produce up to four broods of 3 to 11 eggs in any given year. Both male and female Reedlings take part in incubating their eggs for 14 days.

Although their habitats are in decline due to human activity, the Bearded Tit is not an endangered species. Experts estimate that there are around 6 million Bearded Reedlings around the globe.