From Opus

Parus major

Photo by Clarke Robinson
Photographed: London, England

[edit] Identification

The largest European tit - yellow and green with a glossy black head and white cheeks.

[edit] Distribution

Europe and north Africa through all of Asia, India and Sri Lanka to Japan and south to parts of Indonesia.

[edit] Taxonomy

Polytypic. Consists of about 32 subspecies.
These have been proposed for splitting into three species: Great Tit with 12 subspecies, Cinereous Tit (Parus cinereus) with 14 subspecies, and Japanese Tit (Parus minor) with 8 subspecies. Only the IOC list have accepted these changes, Opus awaits a position from the other major checklists.

[edit] Subspecies^[1]

Great Tit

• P. m. newtoni: in the British Isles
• P. m. major: Europe to north-western Iran, Siberia, Lake Baikal, Altai and Sayan mountains
• P. m. kapustini: North-western China (north-western Xinjiang) to Mongolia and eastern Siberia
• P. m. corsus: Iberian Peninsula and Corsica
• P. m. mallorcae: Balearic Islands
• P. m. ecki: Sardinia
• P. m. excelsus: North-western Africa (Morocco to Tunisia)
• P. m. aphrodite: Southern Italy, Sicily, southern Greece, Mediterranean islands and Cyprus
• P. m. niethammeri: Crete
• P. m. terraesanctae: North-western Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan
• P. m. blanfordi (karelini): Northern Iraq and Iran
• P. m. intermedius: North-eastern Iran and adjacent south-western Turkmenistan

Cinereous Tit

• P. m. cashmirensis: North-eastern Afghanistan to northern Pakistan and north-western India
• P. m. ziaratensis: Southern Afghanistan to northern Baluchistan and Pakistan
• P. m. decolorans: South-eastern Afghanistan (east of Kabul and south of the Hindu Kush)
• P. m. nipalensis: Northern India to Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and western Myanmar
• P. m. vauriei: Eastern Assam (Lakhimpur district) and eastern Arunachal Pradesh
• P. m. stupae: Central and peninsular India
• P. m. mahrattarum: South-western India (Kerala) and Sri Lanka
• P. m. templorum: North-eastern Thailand to southern Laos and southern Vietnam
• P. m. hainanus: Hainan (southern China)
• P. m. ambiguus: South-eastern Myanmar, peninsular Thailand, Malaya and Sumatra
• P. m. cinereus: Java and western Lesser Sundas
• P. m. sarawacensis: Borneo (western Sarawak)

Japanese Tit

• P. m. minor: South-eastern Russia to Japan, Korea, south-western China and eastern Tibet
• P. m. tibetanus: South-western China to south-eastern Tibet; single record from Sikkim
• P. m. subtibetanus: Southern China to south-eastern Tibet and north-western Myanmar
• P. m. nubicolus: South-eastern Myanmar to northern Thailand, northern Laos and extreme western Tonkin
• P. m. dageletensis: Ullung Island (South Korea)
• P. m. amamiensis: Northern Ryukyu Islands (Amami-O-Shima and Tokuno-Shima)
• P. m. okinawae: Central Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa and Yagachi)
• P. m. nigriloris: Southern Ryukyu Islands (Ishigaki and Iriomote)
• P. m. commixtus: Southern China (south of the Yangtze) to Hong Kong and eastern Tonkin

[edit] Habitat

Parks, woodlands and gardens all over Europe

[edit] Behaviour

A woodland bird but nowadays a garden bird. Sometimes aggressive, fighting with other tits. In winter together with Blue Tits and other species

Frequent visitor to birdtables and seed-dispensers, thus well known. Bold, at times plain audacious, may take seed from outstretched hand

[edit] Breeding

Breeds in all kinds of woodland (incl. in desolate taiga in far N) and in immediate proximity of man in parks and gardens.

Nests in roomy nestbox, tree-hole (e.g. decayed fruit tree), air duct and even letterbox

[edit] Diet

Insects and seeds, suet, beech nuts etc.

[edit] Vocalisation

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Avibase

• List of references

[edit] External Links