Includes Sichuan Tit
- Poecile songarus
Identification
13 cm. Dark brown cap, black bib, rich brown upperparts, white cheeks and cinnamon buff underparts. The sexes are similar, but juveniles are somewhat duller.
Distribution
Southeast Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and northern China.
Taxonomy
Four subspecies are recognized:[1]
- P.s. songarus - Tien Shan Mountains of Kazakstan
- P.s. weigoldicus - Southwest China
- P.s. affinis - North-central China
- P.s. stotzneri - Northeast China
IOC recognize P.(s.) weigoldicus as a full species "Sichuan Tit", but places the rest of these taxa into Willow Tit.
The scientific name has in the past been given as either Parus songarus or Poecile songarus.
Habitat
Deciduous mountain forests.
Behaviour
It excavates a cup shaped nesting hole, often in a rotten stump or in a tree, which is lined with fur, hair and wood chips, and sometimes feathers. 5-6 white with small reddish spots or blotches eggs are laid.
The diet includes caterpillars, insects and seeds.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2021) Songar Tit. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 1 June 2021 from https://www.birdforum.net/wiki/Songar_Tit
