Bearded Tit Panurus biarmicus

The Bearded Tit usually lives in reeds and is neither bearded nor a member of the tit family. It is sometimes called a Bearded Reedling. The male has a prominent black line downwards from each eye which is more like a moustache than a beard, with a soft, blue-grey front and a warm, sandy-brown back. The female (above right) doesn't have the grey head nor the moustache.

Its range extends from the far west of Europe to the Far East of Asia. It is unusual for having no other bird species closely related to it.