December 7, 2016 – Varied Tit (Sittiparus varius, Poecile varius, or Parus varius)

These birds are found in Taiwan, Japan, southern Korea, and northeastern China. Their diet includes a variety of seeds, insects, and spiders. They are well known for caching food, which they often use to feed chicks in the spring. Naturally curious and tame birds, they are not shy of humans and some have been trained to perform tricks, such as retrieving paper fortunes from small shrines. Their nests are built in natural tree hollows and consist of moss and other soft materials piled up in the base of the cavity. Females incubate the eggs and probably care for the chicks alone, while males bring them food.