March 6, 2026 - Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius)
Found in much of South Asia and parts of Southeast Asia and southern China, these tailorbirds live in forests, shrublands, and cultivated areas. They eat mostly small invertebrates, along with some nectar, usually foraging in pairs in vegetation and sometimes on the ground. Breeding between March and December depending on the area of their range, females build deep cup-shaped nests from spiderwebs, wool, down, and other materials in a pocket formed by large leaves which they stitch or rivet together with fibers. Both parents incubate the eggs and feed the chicks.
While playing Slay the Princess, I sometimes liked to call Opportunist "Tuntuni", which is what the Tailorbird is called in Hindi, Bengali(my mother tongue), and other languages spoken in South Asia.
I've also heard it as an endearing nickname growing up. It just fits since it sounds like the 'tunist' bit of Opportunist and sounds better than 'Oppy' to me personally.
- SWIFTS!!!! These little freaks just decided to put all their stats into flying so good, they literally can't walk on the ground anymore. They just cling to vertical surfaces and nest inside old hollowed-out trees, cliffs, and caves... or unused chimneys if that's what's available. Since colonization in the Americas, they almost always roost in manmade structures.
- I used to not recognize them because I assumed they were bats. They're so small and fast-flying, you really can't get a good look at them unless you come prepared with binoculars. They basically only stop flying when they sleep or nest.
- I used to not recognize them because I assumed they were bats. They're so small and fast-flying, you really can't get a good look at them unless you come prepared with binoculars. They basically only stop flying when they sleep or nest.
- When they're migrating and it's time to rest, chimney swifts flock up like a mini tornado and funnel into their roost en masse.
- They have special saliva which they use to essentially glue their nests to a vertical surface. Chimney swifts are NOT the ones who make entirely-saliva edible nests (famous as a soup ingredient). Their nests are full of sticks, which they collect in a very badass mid-flight manner by breaking them from trees mid-flight.
- Chimney swifts are threatened by habitat loss and a decline in flying insects. Pesticides, climate change. So if you have an unused chimney and you live in their range, leave it open for the swifts!
