These tiny, snowball-like Japanese birds attract visitors from far and wide to marvel at their cuteness. One skilled photographer has captured the little birds “working out” using delicate tree branches as their gym, and the images are almost too perfect to be real.
Shima-enaga, meaning “long-tailed island bird,” are known fondly as “snow fairies” in Japan. A subspecies of the long-tailed tit, they live in the forests of Hokkaido, Japan’s second-largest island.
(Courtesy of Hiroki Takahashi)
(Courtesy of Hiroki Takahashi)
(Courtesy of Hiroki Takahashi)
Island native Hiroki Takahashi, who lives in the city of Sapporo, has been enraptured by snow fairies for some time. In December 2022, Hiroki captured a beautiful series of photos of the little bird “working out” after seeking snow fairies in the forest for a month….