Pygmy bushtit

{{Short description|Species of bird}}

{{Speciesbox

| name = Pygmy bushtit

| image = Pygmy Tit (Psaltria exilis).jpg

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International. |year=2016 |title=Psaltria exilis |volume=2016 |page=e.T22712032A94316107 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22712032A94316107.en |access-date=9 July 2020}}

| genus = Aegithalos

| species = exilis

| authority = (Temminck, 1836)

| synonyms =Psaltria exilis

| range_map =Psaltria exilis distribution map.png

}}

The pygmy bushtit (Aegithalos exilis) is a species of bird in the bushtit family Aegithalidae.{{cite web |url=http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/pygmy-tit-psaltria-exilis |title=Pygmy Tit (Psaltria exilis) |work=The Internet Bird Collection |accessdate=1 December 2011 }} The species was once placed, along with the rest of its family, with the true tits, Paridae.

It is endemic to Indonesia, where it occurs only on the island of Java. On Java it is restricted to montane forests and plantations above {{convert|1000|m|ft|abbr=on}} and occasionally down to {{convert|830|m|ft|abbr=on}} in the west of the island. It frequents conifer forest and other open forest types, and is often encountered on the forest edge.{{Citation | first = Simon | last = Harrap | editor-first = Josep | editor-last = del Hoyo | editor2-first = Andrew | editor2-last = Elliott | editor3-first = David | editor3-last = Christie | contribution = Family Aegithalidae (Long-tailed Tits) | title = Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 13, Penduline-tits to Shrikes | year = 2008 | pages = 76–101| place = Barcelona | publisher = Lynx Edicions | isbn = 978-84-96553-45-3 }}

The pygmy bushtit is the smallest member of its family, and the smallest passerine. It is {{convert|8.5|to(-)|8.7|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length.

The pygmy bushtit was formerly placed in its own monotypic genus Psaltria. It was moved to the current genus Aegithalos based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2016.{{Cite journal | last1=Johansson | first1=U.S. | last2=Ericson | first2=P.G.P. | last3=Fjeldså | first3=J. | last4=Irestedt | first4=M. | date=2016 | title=The phylogenetic position of the world's smallest passerine, the Pygmy Bushtit Psaltria exilis | journal=Ibis | volume=158 | issue=3 | pages=519–529 | doi=10.1111/ibi.12377}}{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=July 2021 | title=Bushtits, leaf warblers, reed warblers | work=IOC World Bird List Version 11.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/bushtits/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=7 December 2021 }}