Wrentit Vs Bushtit (1 Viewer)

[PONYRCR]

How do you tell the difference?

I get lots of little Bushtits that invade my Honeysuckle almost daily. They always arrive in a noisy little flock. Stay for about 5 minutes flitting and gleaning insects then move on as a noisy group.

Today while at the Ballona Marsh I saw two birds that looked a bit like Bushtits but then again not.

There was just the two of them and they didn't seem to flit around quite as much as the Bushtits do. They also looked a little plumper then the Bushtits. Plus they didn't make any noise.

Could those have been Wrentits?

Unfortunately I couldn't get any photos of them.

 

[emupilot]

How do you tell the difference?

I get lots of little Bushtits that invade my Honeysuckle almost daily. They always arrive in a noisy little flock. Stay for about 5 minutes flitting and gleaning insects then move on as a noisy group.

Today while at the Ballona Marsh I saw two birds that looked a bit like Bushtits but then again not.

There was just the two of them and they didn't seem to flit around quite as much as the Bushtits do. They also looked a little plumper then the Bushtits. Plus they didn't make any noise.

Could those have been Wrentits?

Unfortunately I couldn't get any photos of them.

Wrentits are MUCH bigger, and (as you correctly ascertain) they don't hang around in big twittering flocks like Bushtits. You'll often find a pair together, or perhaps a family, but that's it. Besides the classic loud bouncing ball type song, pairs often make a quiet rattle to each other. Listen for that when you're in chaparral - I have much better luck finding them when I hear that as opposed to when they're singing. They tend to have their tails cocked up as they work their way through the brush. Wrentits also have streaking underneath, although the color may not be how it appears in the guides. Here in Northern California, they are mostly grayish above, sometimes with a faint hooded look, with orangy stripes below.

 

[PONYRCR]

I'm pretty sure what I saw today was a Wrentit.

They did cock their tails. Didn't notice any sounds coming from them. I did hear what sounded a bit like what I hear from the Bushtits but it didn't appear to be coming from the direction of the Wrentits. Could just be my bad hearing.

They were grey and brownish with little beady yellow eyes. They did seem to have a slight hooded look to their head. The head was a dull grey/brown giving way to a dull grey on the rest of the bird, and a brownish tail. Didn't notice any orangey stripes.

I wish I had gotten a picture to be sure, but I'm gonna call it as a Wrentit.

 

[Gentoo]

AS mentioned there is a pronounced size difference between the two. Bushtit is about the size of Anna's Hummingbird or a bit larger. Wrentit is the size of a sparrow. The calls os Bushtits is the high pitched lisping sound. Wrentits give a low throaty rattling sound if not singing.