Varied tit

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Varied tit
Varied tit at Tennoji Park in Osaka, January 2016.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paridae
Genus: Sittiparus
Species:
S. varius
Binomial name
Sittiparus varius
(Temminck & Schlegel, 1847)
Subspecies

5 living, 1 recently extinct; see text

Synonyms
  • Cyanistes varius
  • Poecile varius
  • Parus varius

The varied tit (Sittiparus varius) is a perching bird from the tit family, Paridae. It occurs in the eastern Palearctic in Japan, Korea, and locally in northeastern China (southern Liaoning) and extreme southeastern Russia (southern Kurile Islands).

Contents

Taxonomy

The varied tit was described by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck and the German ornithologist Hermann Schlegel in 1845 and given the binomial name Parus varius. [2] [3] [lower-alpha 1] Until the end of the twentieth century the varied tit was usually placed along with most of the other member of the tit family in the genus Parus . In 2005 the report of a molecular phylogenetic study that examined mitochondrial DNA sequences from members of the tit family, recommended including the varied tit along with around fifteen other species in the resurrected genus Poecile . [6] The authors of a 2013 study that analysed both mitochondrial and nuclear sequences, suggested splitting Poecile and placing the varied tit and its sister taxon, the white-fronted tit in their own genus Sittiparus. The genus had originally been erected by the Belgium politician and naturalist Edmond de Sélys Longchamps in 1884 with the varied tit as the type species. [7] [8] This proposal was adopted by the International Ornithologists' Union. [9] [10]

Owston's tit (Sittiparus owstoni), the Iriomote tit (Sittiparus olivaceus) and the chestnut-bellied tit (Sittiparus castaneoventris) were formerly considered as subspecies of the varied tit, but were promoted to species status following the publication of a phylogenetic study in 2014. [10] [11]

A number of subspecies have been described, of which one has become extinct in the 20th century: [10]

Description

The varied tit is 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in) long and weighs 16–18 g (0.56–0.63 oz). The wing length is 6.0–7.8 cm (2.4–3.1 in). In the nominate race S. v. varius the crown, the bill, the throat, the upper breast and the nape are black. Forehead, face, and cheeks are white. Back, wings, and tail are bluish grey. Mantle, lower breast, belly and undertail coverts are chestnut coloured. From the crown to the nape runs a thin white central line. The feet are dark grey.

Its habitat consists of open mixed forests, in particular with the Japanese Castanopsis species Castanopsis cuspidata and Japanese larch, coniferous forests with Japanese yews, Cryptomeria (sugi), and pines as well as bamboo forests at mountain slopes and in river valleys.

The varied tit eats a mixed diet consisting of seeds and insects, namely caterpillars.

Its call consists of tiny tones which sounds like tzu….tzu….tzu…

In culture

In Japan varied tits have been used in a kind of show called "omikujihiki" to draw fortune telling-slips (omikuji). Using a small model Shinto shrine the birds will deposit a coin, ring a bell, open the door, remove a fortune telling slip and return with it. They may also use their beaks to open it by cutting a string or tape. [12] [13]

Notes

  1. Fauna Japonica was issued in fascicles (parts). Although the description of the varied tit on pages 71-72 was included in fascicles IV-VIII which were published in 1848, [4] plate 35 was published with fascicle 2 in July 1845. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tit (bird)</span> Family of small passerine birds

The tits, chickadees, and titmice constitute the Paridae, a large family of small passerine birds which occur mainly in the Northern Hemisphere and Africa. Most were formerly classified in the genus Parus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willow tit</span> Species of passerine bird in the tit family Paridae

The willow tit is a passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout temperate and subarctic Europe and across the Palearctic. The plumage is grey-brown and off-white with a black cap and bib. It is more of a conifer specialist than the closely related marsh tit, which explains it breeding much further north. It is resident, and most birds do not migrate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coenraad Jacob Temminck</span> Dutch aristocrat, zoologist, and museum director

Coenraad Jacob Temminck was a Dutch aristocrat, zoologist and museum director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grey-headed chickadee</span> Species of bird

The grey-headed chickadee or Siberian tit, formerly Parus cinctus, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread resident breeder throughout subarctic Scandinavia and the northern Palearctic, and also into North America in Alaska and the far northwest of Canada. It is a conifer specialist. It is resident, and most birds do not migrate. Curiously, the bird has no grey on its head, which is black, white, and brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hermann Schlegel</span> German ornithologist, herpetologist and ichthyologist

Hermann Schlegel was a German ornithologist, herpetologist and ichthyologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain chickadee</span> Species of bird

The mountain chickadee is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexican chickadee</span> Species of bird

The Mexican chickadee is a small songbird, a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is still often 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. The American Ornithologists' Union had been treating Poecile as distinct genus for some time already.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warbling white-eye</span> Species of bird

The warbling white-eye, also known as the Japanese white-eye and mountain white-eye, is a small passerine bird in the white-eye family. The specific epithet is occasionally written japonica, but this is incorrect due to the gender of the genus. Its native range includes much of East Asia, including the Russian Far East, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, and the Philippines. It has been intentionally introduced to other parts of the world as a pet and as pest control, with mixed results. As one of the native species of the Japanese islands, it has been depicted in Japanese art on numerous occasions, and historically was kept as a cage bird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-fronted tit</span> Species of bird

The white-fronted tit is a species of bird in the family Paridae. It is endemic to the Philippines found in the islands of Luzon and Mindanao. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White-browed tit</span> Species of bird

The white-browed tit is a species of bird in the tit family Paridae. It is endemic to the mountain forests of central China and Tibet.

<i>Poecile</i> Genus of birds in the tit family Paridae

Poecile is a genus of birds in the tit family Paridae. It contains 15 species, which are scattered across North America, Europe and Asia; the North American species are the chickadees. In the past, most authorities retained Poecile as a subgenus within the genus Parus, but treatment as a distinct genus, initiated by the American Ornithologists Union, is now widely accepted. This is supported by mtDNA cytochrome b sequence analysis.

<i>Cyanistes</i> Genus of birds

Cyanistes is a genus of birds in the tit family Paridae. The genus was at one time considered as a subgenus of Parus. In 2005 an article describing a molecular phylogenetic study that had examined mitochondrial DNA sequences from members of the tit family, proposed that a number of subgenera including Cyanistes be elevated to genus status. This proposal was accepted by the International Ornithologists' Union and the British Ornithologists' Union.

<i>Pardaliparus</i> Genus of birds

Pardaliparus is a genus of birds in the tit family. The members of the genus were formerly included in Parus but were moved to Pardaliparus when Parus was split into several resurrected genera following the publication of a detailed molecular phylogenetic analysis in 2013.

<i>Sittiparus</i> Genus of birds

Sittiparus is a genus of birds in the tit family Paridae. The species in the genus were formerly included in Parus but were moved to Sittiparus when Parus was split into several resurrected genera following the publication of a detailed molecular phylogenetic analysis in 2013. The genus Sittiparus had originally been erected by the Belgium politician and naturalist Edmond de Sélys Longchamps in 1884 with the varied tit as the type species.

<i>Fauna Japonica</i>

Fauna Japonica is a series of monographs on the zoology of Japan. It was the first book written in a European language (French) on the Japanese fauna, and published serially in five volumes between 1833 and 1850.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sichuan tit</span> Species of bird

The Sichuan tit is a species of bird in the tit family Paridae. It is found in central China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Owston's tit</span> Species of bird

Owston's tit is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae that is endemic to the southern Izu Islands south of Japan, occurring only on the islands of Miyakejima, Mikurajima and Hachijojima.

The Iriomote tit is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is endemic to the Yaeyama Islands which lie to the south west of Japan and to the east of Taiwan. Iriomote is the name of the largest island in the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chestnut-bellied tit</span> Species of bird

The chestnut-bellied tit is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae that is endemic to Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orii Hyōjirō</span> Japanese specimen collector (1883–1970)

Orii Hyōjirō was a Japanese specimen collector of birds and mammals. At least a hundred new species and subspecies were described based on the type specimens he collected, a 2014 review putting the total, among taxa currently recognized, at 14 species and 41 subspecies of mammal, and 6 species and 68 subspecies of bird. The 7 mammal and 10 bird taxa named in honour of "Orii of the Orient", as he came to be known, include the Ryūkyū shrew and now-extinct Daitō varied tit.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2017). "Sittiparus varius". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T103758876A112809007. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T103758876A112809007.en . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. Temminck, Coenraad Jacob; Schlegel, Hermann (1845). Siebold, Philipp Franz von (ed.). Fauna Japonica. Vol. 4: Aves. Lugduni Batavorum (Leiden): Regis Auspiciis. pp. 71–72, plate 35. Title page dated 1850
  3. Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1986). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 12. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. pp. 117–119.
  4. Sherborn, C. Davies; Jentink, F.A. (1895). "On the dates of the parts of Siebold's 'Fauna Japonica' and Giebel's 'Allgemeine Zoologie' (first edition)". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. Academic Press, [etc.]: 149–150.
  5. Morioka, H.; Dickinson, E.C.; Hiraoka, T.; Allen, D.; Yamasaki, T. (2005). "Types of Japanese birds" (PDF). National Science Museum Monographs (Tokyo). 28: 1–154 [130].
  6. Gill, F.B.; Slikas, B.; Sheldon, F.H. (2005). "Phylogeny of titmice (Paridae): II. Species relationships based on sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome-b gene". Auk. 122: 121–143. doi:10.1642/0004-8038(2005)122[0121:POTPIS]2.0.CO;2. S2CID   86067032.
  7. Selys-Longchamps, Edmund de (1884). "Considérations sur le genre mélange (Parus)". Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de France (in French). 9: 32–78 [58].
  8. Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1986). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 12. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 71.
  9. Johansson, U.S.; Ekman, J.; Bowie, R.C.K.; Halvarsson, P.; Ohlson, J.I.; Price, T.D.; Ericson, P.G.P. (2013). "A complete multilocus species phylogeny of the tits and chickadees (Aves: Paridae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 69 (3): 852–860. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.06.019. PMID   23831453.
  10. 1 2 3 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Waxwings and their allies, tits & penduline tits". World Bird List Version 6.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  11. McKay, B.D.; Mays Jnr, H.L.; Tao, C.-T.; Wan, D.; Higuchi, H.; Nishium, I. (2014). "Incorporating color into integrative taxonomy: analysis of the Varied Tit (Sittiparus varius) complex in East Asia". Systems Biology. 63 (4): 505–517. doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syu016 . PMID   24603127.
  12. ヤマガラの芸ーその4 おみくじ芸 (Yamagara Bird Tricks Part4) June 12, 2010 Retrieved March 24, 2017
  13. Yamaguchi, Noriyaki Varied Tit Yamagara (Jpn) Poecile varius December 14, 2005 Bird Research News Vol.2 No.12 Retrieved March 24, 2017