Long-tailed Tit

This shot – taken after what had been a very harsh December, with heavy snow and prolonged sub-zero temperatures – illustrates well how the Long-tailed Tit's body shape alters during the seasons. Here, this tiny bird's body is almost perfectly globular, resembling a small ball of feathers attached to that oh-so extravagant tail. As the ambient temperatures begin to rise, however, the Long-tailed tit's body shape will become much more slender and seemingly longer.

Canon 1DS MkII, 1/200 sec, f8, 400mm at ISO 640