From Opus

Poecile sclateri

Identification

13cm. Black cap, white cheeks, and a short black bill. Grey backs and flanks, paler grayish underparts. A whitish band below the bib extends down the center of the belly.

Distribution

Mexico and North America.

Taxonomy

The Mexican Chickadee, Poecile sclateri, is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. Often, it is still placed in the genus Parus with most other tits, but mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data and morphology suggest that separating Poecile more adequately expresses these birds' relationships (Gill et al., 2005). The American Ornithologists' Union has been treating Poecile as distinct genus for some time already.

Habitat

Wooded highlands

Behaviour

The nest is constructed by the female and consists of grasses, moss, strips of bark, and is lined with animal fur. 5 - 8 ovate white eggs, marked with fine reddish brown spots, are laid and are incubated for 11 to 14 days by the female. The young fledge in 18 to 21 days.

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