Tiny Birds That Resemble Flying Cotton Balls Live On Japanese Island

May 01, 2020 by apost team

Birds come in all shapes and sizes, but tiny birds are often known for being very cute. One particular very small bird in Japan takes its cute size one step further and matches it with an absolutely adorable look.

With its fluffy white face and body, the shima-enaga bird—which belongs to the long-tailed tit family of birds—is native to the island of Hokkaido and looks like a giant flying cotton ball, and it's the cutest thing!

The adorable little birds are almost too cute for words. Belonging to the general family of birds known as the long-tailed tit—so-called for their very long tails in proportion to the rest of their body—an adult can reach between 13-15 cm in length, with their tail comprising up to half of that. They're a common bird in Europe and Asia, with various species among them.

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This particular type is known in Japanese as shima-enaga and is native to the island of Hokkaido. While other long-tailed tits have darker features on their face and body, the shima-enaga is snow white and very fluffy, making it appear like a cotton ball with a face, legs, and tail. It's almost as if the bird was first a cartoon character, then nature decided to emulate it in real life!

They're so incredibly adorable and almost don't look real. The Japanese are well known for their celebration of so-called kawaii culture—cute in Japanese—so it's no surprise that these adorable birds are very popular in their home country and have even been immortalized in various ways including through merchandise and sweet desserts.

Hokkaido, the island that the shima-enaga calls home, is the second largest in Japan and is home to six national parks, as well as 17 quasi-national and prefectural parks. This makes it an excellent place for wildlife diversity and it has become famous for that.

Bird watching is a pastime that perhaps isn't as popular with the younger generation, but older folks love it, and the shima-enaga would be a perfect bird to watch in the wild. Visible year-round, the shima-enaga is known to be social and flies around in flocks of 20-30 birds and twitters in tall trees. They're very energetic and acrobatic, and are often seen hanging from twigs upside down as they look for food. 

The winter can be hard for the shima-enaga bird, but since they form larger flocks with other tit species, as well as having large brood sizes, they're able to withstand it and recover quickly.

These birds are truly a sight to behold. They're absolutely adorable, so it's no surprise they've become a popular national wonder in Japan. 

Do you think the shima-enaga resembles a flying cotton ball? What was your first reaction when seeing this sweet and very tiny bird? Tell us in the comments and be sure to pass this on to any friends and family who love adorable animals!