Azure Tit

Photo by Pavel
Pripyatsky National Park, Belarus, May 2008

Cyanistes cyanus

Parus cyanus

Identification

12-13 cm.

• White head
• Dark line through eye
• Blue upperparts with white wing bars
• White tail corners

Distribution

Europe and Asia
Eastern Europe: Scandinavia: Finland. Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Yugoslavia, Romania, Ukraine
Asia: Russia, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, China, Tibet

Taxonomy

Has been considered conspecific with Yellow-breasted Tit in the past.

Subspecies

There are 5 subspecies^[1]:

• C. c. cyanus:

• European Russia to basin of middle Volga River

• C. c. hyperrhiphaeus:

• Eastern European Russia to western Siberia and northern Kazakstan

• C. c. koktalensis:

• Lowlands of south-eastern Kazakstan (south of Lake Balkhash)

• C. c. tianschanicus:

• South-eastern Kazakstan to north-western China, Manchuria and Pakistan

• C. c. yenisseensis:

• South-eastern Siberia to Sea of Japan and lower Amur River

Habitat

Marshes, scrub and mixed woodlands and temperate and sub-arctic regions.

Behaviour

Diet

The diet includes insects and seeds.

Breeding

Up to 10 eggs are laid in a tree hole.

Vocalisation

Call: dee, dee, dee or a scolding churr.
Song: tsi-tsi-tshurr-tsi-tsi-tshurr.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2014. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9., with updates to August 2014. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Wikipedia

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Azure Tit. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Azure_Tit

External Links

Search for photos of Azure Tit in the gallery