Remizidae

▪ bird family

      bird family (order Passeriformes) that contains the penduline tits and, usually, the verdin. Some authorities class the eight species of these birds as a subfamily of the titmouse family, Paridae. Remizids are much like long-tailed tits (Aegithalidae) but have shorter tails and thinner bills and are usually found near water.

      The penduline tit (Remiz pendulinus) is irregularly distributed in river scrub and marshes across Eurasia. An 11-centimetre- (4.5-inch-) long brownish bird with a black mask on its whitish head, it is named for its two-chambered nest (built by the male), which consists of a finely felted bag of plant down or wool, suspended from the tip of a branch (sometimes in reeds).

      The verdin (Auriparus flaviceps), a 10-centimetre (4-inch) grayish songbird with a yellowish head, is found in dry brushlands of southwestern North America; it makes a large globular nest of thorny twigs.

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