Meet a Bird That Resembles a Ball and Does the Most Epic Van Damme Splits Ever

Nature is always ready to bring some adorableness into our lives and put smiles on our faces when we need it most — and the bearded reedling does just that. It’s very easy to recognize this bird since it’s just one small ball of fluffiness with really cool markings on its face. This little guy is officially one of our favorites and we wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes popular among our readers as well.

Bright Side would like to introduce you to this little bundle of joy that has the power to make your day a bit better!

The bearded reedling (or bearded tit) lives mostly in Europe and can be found in large reed beds by lakes or swamps. They are stout birds with relatively long tails. The males are mostly gingerish-brown with bluish-grey heads. They have black mustache-like markings under both eyes. The females are similar to the males, but they are paler on the throat and don’t have the same “mustache” markings.

They weigh between 11 g to 20.8 g (0.38 oz to 0.73 oz) and are 14.5 cm to 17 cm (5.7 in to 6.6 in) long. Their diet during the summer consists of beetles, caterpillars, flies, spiders, and snails. And during the winter, they tend to eat reeds, particularly their seeds.

Despite their shape, bearded reedlings are very agile and maneuverable as they fly through reeds and over the ground. They can also be identified by their contact call, which is a ringing “tschin” sound. They’re not globally threatened and are common in places where they’ve established as a breeding species.

Have you captured photos of any unique-looking birds? If so, we’d love it if you shared them with us!

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