Could these be the sweetest little birds on the planet? The Japanese certainly think so, calling the beloved, long-tailed sparrows “snow fairies.” Known as Shima-enaga, the round, white balls of fluff live on Japan’s second-largest island, Hokkaido.
Photographer Yuzuru Kitagawa captures their delicate beauty perfectly as they flit around the snowy paradise that is their home. With all-white faces, bright round eyes, and miniature beaks, they resemble flying snowballs.
(Courtesy of Yuzuru Kitagawa)
(Courtesy of Yuzuru Kitagawa)
(Courtesy of Yuzuru Kitagawa)
(Courtesy of Yuzuru Kitagawa)
According to Hokkaido wildlife and bird-watching experts Saiyu Travel, the Hokkaido long-tailed sparrows—Aegithalos caudatus japonicus—can be seen all year round on the island but it’s in winter that they puff out their feathers to keep warm, giving them their cute, round shape….