This is Bird Noir, and Michael Stein, Private Eye.

Some birds are simple hard-boiled predators.

Hawks, owls, falcons.

But other birds come up with some surprisingly crafty, mischief.

Take this call I got the other day.

Hello, I'd like you to investigate a theft.

A heist? Anything valuable?

I'd say so. My precious pomeranians fur.

A pomeranian, huh? Those dogs do have nice long hair.

She was napping on the patio when a bird snatched some loose fur right off her back.

What could a bird want with dog fur?

First off, what did this hair bandit look like?

Well, it had a little crest on its head, like a tiny cardinal, but gray.

Of course, a tufted tit mouse.

They've been caught on camera all over the country, stealing hair from dogs, raccoons, foxes, even people.

This fits their mo perfectly.

But why? Are they just out to bother poor, unsuspecting dogs?

Not at all. They line their nests with hair to keep their eggs warm.

And they have such a light touch that snoozing dogs don't even flinch.

Well, when you put it that way, I guess my pomeranian could spare a couple hairs for a baby bird.

A tufted tit mouse, a natural thief.

We're more about the bird world's con artists on our website, birdnote.org.

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