From Opus

Photo by wildart.
Photo taken: Finland.

Alternative name: Gray-headed Chickadee; Taiga Chickadee; Alaskan Tit

Poecile cincta

[edit] Identification

A medium sized tit (13.5 - 14cm).

• Large, dark brown head
• White cheeks
• Brown mantle
• Black wing feathers with pale fringes
• White underparts
• Pale brown flanks

Colours variable, birds from southern Siberia browner, birds from Taymyr Peninsula greyer. Sexes similar.

[edit] Similar species

May be confused with Boreal Chickadee in Alaska and Canada, but Siberian Tit is larger, has a whiter neck side, paler brownish-buff flanks and broader whitish edges on tertials.

[edit] Distribution

	Scandinavia and northern Asia, Alaska and the far northwest of Canada.
	Legend • P. c. lathami; year-round • P. c. lapponicus; year-round • P. c. cinctus; year-round • P. c. sayanus; year-round Maps/Texts consulted1, 2

[edit] Taxonomy

Polytypic. Consists of four subspecies:

• P. c. lathami in Alaska and northwest Canada
• P. c. lapponicus in Fennoscandia (Norway, Sweden, Finland) and northern european Russia
• P. c. cincta from northeast Russia over Siberia to Kamchatka
• P. c. sayanus in southern Siberia and northwest Mongolia

Formerly placed in genus Parus as Parus cinctus.

[edit] Habitat

Conifer forests, mostly of old-growth spruce, especially in areas with dead trees.

[edit] Behaviour

Feeds on small invertebrates like bugs, moths, flies and others. Takes also seeds. Stores food in variety of caches and visits these caches in winter. Breeding season from May to July. Pairs for life. The nest is placed in a hole (often old woodpecker holes) and made with wood, moss, animal hair and grass stems. Lays 4 to 11 eggs. Adults are resident, young birds may wander around, flocking with Willow Tit.

[edit] References

1. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
2. Harrap, S and Qinn D. 1996. Tits, Nuthatches and Treecreepers. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0713639644.

[edit] External Links