Bird, bug, butterfly and a wild variety of photos from Belarus, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Scotland and Spain by Irish wildlife photographer Patrick J. O'Keeffe and invited guests

Thursday, 27 August 2015

BEARDED REELING (Female) (Panurus biarmicus) Hortobágy National Park - The Puszta, Hortobágy, Debrecen, Hajdú-Bihar megye, Hungary

CLICK ON PHOTO TO SEE HIGHER QUALITY IMAGE
Click here for detailed species information
The Bearded Reedling (Panurus biarmicus) occurs in the temperate parts of Europe and Asia. Alternative names include Bearded Tit and Bearded Parrotbill. This species is found in reed beds and feeds on a wide variety of small invertebrates. In late autumn with the onset of colder weather, it develops a gizzard. This allows it to feed on seeds during the winter months when its normal food source is mainly absent. With the rise in temperature in late spring, invertebrates become more abundant again and its gizzard gradually dissolves. It then reverts back to being a totally insectivorous species.  Text © www.rawbirds.com