2020/09/09

A bearded reedling in Elmley National Nature Reserve in Kent, England

© Mark Bridger/Offset by Shutterstock

Feeling a hint of fall in the air? This bearded reedling could be, but a drop in temperature isn't a signal for it to fly on to warmer destinations. These songbirds belong to a resident species, which means most stay put in the marshes, from England to eastern Asia, where they thrive. Their diet changes with the seasons: In the summer, they dine on reed aphids, while during the colder months, reed seeds sustain them. This guy—and we know he's a male due the distinctive black 'mustache' stretching down his face—is perching in the Elmley National Nature Reserve in Kent, one of the largest bird reserves in England.