A stunning bird to photograph in the snow is the Shima Enaga (Parus caudatus), one of the dozens of birds I look forward to photographing on my annual winter Hokkaido Photo Tour. Hokkaido is known worldwide, and wildlife photographers from pros to amateurs visit annually for our fantastic wildlife/birding photo opportunities, such as spotting and photographing the Red-Crowned Cranes, The Steller's sea eagles, White-tailed eagles, Hokkaido sika deer, and the Hokkaido Ezo red foxes and dozens of others wildlife species plus minimalist landscapes. Still, when I have genuine birders in my group, I always seek out the Shima Enaga, which can be a little tricky to spot and photograph in the snow because these birds have a uniquely all-white face and under, and white on white photography is tricky even at times for the experienced pro photographer.
A Hokkaido bird spotting opportunity I never pass up is capturing the Shima Enaga while they are foraging. The Shima Enaga is sometimes referred to as the Silver-throated dasher because they dash from tree to tree and among low-lying shrubs, even hanging upside down while probing for insects, seeds, berries, or any of its other preferred foraged feed. The Shima Enaga feeds on a wide variety of tiny insects, dining on leafhoppers, treehoppers, aphids, and caterpillars. The Shima Enaga’s diet adapts to the season in which it is foraging. Wasps, ants, spiders, eggs, and pupae are a variety of insects on the Shima Enaga’s seasonal menu.
Outside of the breeding season, they live in flocks of half a dozen to two dozen composed of the family (parents and offspring) from the previous breeding season, together with extra adults that help raise the brood. The reason for the flocking behavior is believed due to winter roosting as they are susceptible to cold, and they huddle for warmth on cold nights. When the breeding season begins, the flock of Shima Enaga breaks up, and the birds attempt to breed in monogamous pairs. Females tend to wander into neighboring territories, while males remain within their winter territories.