A snoozing fox meets a plucky little black-crested titmouse

Note: We refer to the titmouse as a "tufted titmouse" in the video and we're wrong. It's a black-crested titmouse. Our thanks to youngjc05 and Kahanu Ermeyas-Tulu for letting us know.

And now, back to the story:
Occasionally our cameras catch things that we wouldn't believe if we hadn't seen them ourselves. This is one of those things.

A fox snoozing in the sunshine outside a den was being disturbed by a tiny titmouse, who seemed intent on doing everything she could to be irritating. She pecked at the fox, jumped on his back, and launched little kicks at his side, and every time the fox stirred and tried to get her to leave him in peace, she flitted out of reach. And then came back.

What on earth was the titmouse thinking? She could so easily have wound up being lunch.

Turns out this is what she was thinking: "This is a very furry fox. Fox fur makes a nice, soft nest lining. Surely this fox doesn't need all his fur? Summer is coming, after all. Surely he won't mind if I take some?". And that's what she did. Once she'd established that the fox wasn't going to kill her, she went to work plucking out fur and the fox let her do it! We were astonished. She hopped around on the fox's back, harvested a beakful of fur, and took off with it.

She was back the next day for more.

#fox #titmouse #backyardwildlife #texaswildlife

[MrNicoJac]

Today I learned foxes don't eat birds because they're food, but just because they're annoying hair-thieves 😂

[glenagarrett]

That is one determined and brave homeowner bird.

[GrullaMustang]

The fact the fox and bird's coats share the same color palette is aesthetically pleasing to me😌

[nonaeubinis]

I like how the bird is stomping around trying to find the fluffiest fur on the sleeping Fox. Apparently, it feels good lol

[yayalu]

It’s so cute how the fox smushes his face and covers it with his paws

[arleneirvine]

the bird is beautiful, the fox is beautiful, nature is beautiful!

[E-x]

I actually saw this happen to my dog. He was sunbathing and a bird landed on his butt and took some of his hair to build their nest in our backyard. I don’t think they’d take it from dead animals b/c of all the bugs and parasites in it. Birds are usually very tidy with their nests.

[tobuslieven]

I guess if it's spring, the animals might be shedding their winter coats at the same time the birds need to make their nests, so maybe it works out for both of them.

[okparachizitere]

Plot twist: the fox is letting it build a nest so that there would be more food in the future 😳

[CarrieVogel]

When my chihuahua was alive I always brushed him outside in the spring so the birds would have nice soft fur for their nests.

[ShainAndrews]

Having dogs that blow their coat twice a year i hang their fur in mesh laundry bags. Never takes birds very long to clear it out.

[carlocalixtus]

A fine bird becomes a mustached birdie. That's a huge transformation.

[allisonmay]

The lesson from this..dont lie down for a nap in the forest you'll wake up bald 😀🤣🤣

[myranoname]

Fox is amazingly patient with this bird. This bird is so brave.

[a_diamond]

"you're shedding anyway!"
Fox: "mmm'kay"..

[call]

This is an amazing footage. The docile fox just let the bird went about with its business. I like how the bird took its own sweet time to pick a good spot and harvest the fur.

[canyonoverland]

I moustache you a question, "May I grab a beakful of fur?"

[aremedyproject]

When people groom their pets they should leave the hair outside for the wildlife. I do and it’s always gone the next day.

[mattemanuel]

Reminds me of the Spongebob when he kept taking Sandy’s hair for warmth during the winter

[danielleking]

Man, this is the equivalent of parents trying to sleep in the morning of a big road trip and the kids just come in jumping on the bed and poking at them going "Are we going yet? Are we going yet? Are we going yet?"

Poor