European crested tit

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European crested tit
Lophophanes cristatus - 01.jpg
In Spain
Bird recorded in Scotland
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Paridae
Genus: Lophophanes
Species:
L. cristatus
Binomial name
Lophophanes cristatus
LophophanesCristatusIUCN.svg
Range of L. cristatus
  Resident
Synonyms

Parus cristatusLinnaeus, 1758

The European crested tit, or simply crested tit (Lophophanes cristatus) (formerly Parus cristatus), is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder in coniferous forests throughout central and northern Europe and in deciduous woodland in France and the Iberian peninsula. In Great Britain, it is chiefly restricted to the ancient pinewoods of Inverness and Strathspey in Scotland, and seldom strays far from its haunts. A few vagrant crested tits have been seen in England. It is resident, and most individuals do not migrate.

Contents

Taxonomy and systematics

This species was formerly placed in Parus, but the distinctness of Lophophanes is well supported, [2] and it is now recognised by the American Ornithologists' Union and the British Ornithologists' Union as a distinct genus. [3]

The current genus name, Lophophanes, is from the Ancient Greek lophos, "crest", and phaino, "to show". The specific cristatus is Latin for "crested". [4]

Behaviour and ecology

Eggs, Collection Museum Wiesbaden Parus cristatus MWNH 2285.JPG
Eggs, Collection Museum Wiesbaden

It is an easy tit to recognise, for besides its erectile crest, the tip of which is often recurved, its gorget and collar are distinctive. It is, like other tits, talkative, and birds keep up a constant zee, zee, zee Loudspeaker.svg birdsong  , similar to that of the coal tit.

It makes a nest in a hole in rotting stumps. This bird often feeds low down in trees, but although not shy, it is not always easily approached. It will join winter tit flocks with other species.

Like other tits it is found in pairs and it feeds on insects (including caterpillars) and seeds.

Related Research Articles

Tit (bird) 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.

Coal tit Species of bird

The coal tit or cole tit,, is a small passerine bird in the tit family, Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder in forests throughout the temperate to subtropical Palearctic, including North Africa. The black-crested tit is now usually included in this species.

Willow tit 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.

Grey-headed chickadee Species of bird

The grey-headed chickadee or Siberian tit 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.

Himalayan black-lored tit Species of bird

The Himalayan black-lored tit, also known as simply black-lored tit, is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. The yellow-cheeked tit is probably its closest relative, and it may also be related to the yellow tit. These three tits almost certainly form a distinct lineage, as indicated by morphology, and mtDNA cytochrome b sequence analysis.

Azure tit Species of bird

The azure tit is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder throughout Russia and Central Asia and northwest China, Manchuria and Pakistan.

Mexican chickadee 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.

White-winged black tit Species of bird

The white-winged black tit is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is also known as the white-winged tit, dark-eyed black tit or northern black tit. The species was first described by Eduard Rüppell in 1840.

<i>Baeolophus</i> Genus of birds

Baeolophus is a genus of birds in the family Paridae. Its members are commonly known as titmice. All the species are native to North America. In the past, most authorities retained Baeolophus as a subgenus within the genus Parus, but treatment as a distinct genus, initiated by the American Ornithological Society, is now widely accepted.

<i>Parus</i> Genus of birds

Parus is a genus of Old World birds in the tit family. It was formerly a large genus containing most of the 50 odd species in the family Paridae. The genus was split into several resurrected genera following the publication of a detailed molecular phylogenetic analysis in 2013. The genus name, Parus, is the Latin for "tit".

Ashy tit Species of bird

The ashy tit is a species of bird in the family Paridae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and dry savanna.

Stripe-breasted tit Species of bird

The stripe-breasted tit is a species of bird in the family Paridae. It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

Miombo tit Species of bird

The miombo tit is a species of bird in the family Paridae. It is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests.

Yellow tit Species of bird

The yellow tit, Taiwan yellow tit, or Formosan yellow tit is a species of bird in the family Paridae. It is endemic to central Taiwan.

Rufous-bellied tit Species of bird

The rufous-bellied tit is a species of bird in the tit family.

<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>Periparus</i> Genus of birds

Periparus is a genus of birds in the tit family. The birds in the genus were formerly included in Parus but were moved to Periparus when Parus was split into several resurrected genera following the publication of a detailed molecular phylogenetic analysis in 2005. The name Periparus had been introduced for a subgenus of Parus that included the coal tit by the Belgium naturalist Edmond de Sélys Longchamps in 1884. The genus name, is Ancient Greek peri plus the pre-existing genus Parus.

Carps tit Species of bird

Carp's tit or Carp's black tit, is a species of bird in the family Paridae. Some authors consider it a subspecies of the black tit. It is found in Angola and Namibia.

Indian black-lored tit Species of bird

The Indian black-lored tit, Indian tit, or Indian yellow tit is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. The yellow-cheeked tit is probably its closest relative, and both may be related to the yellow tit. These three tits almost certainly form a distinct lineage as evidenced by morphology, and mtDNA cytochrome b sequence analysis. The subgenus name Macholophus may apply for them.

<i>Machlolophus</i> Genus of birds

Machlolophus is a genus of birds in the tit family. The species were formerly placed with many others in the genus Parus but were moved to Machlolophus based on a molecular phylogenetic analysis published in 2013 that showed that the members formed a distinct clade.

References

  1. BirdLife International (2016). "Lophophanes cristatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T22711810A87427182. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22711810A87427182.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. Gill, Frank B.; Slikas, Beth; Sheldon, Frederick 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.
  3. Sangster, George; Collinson, J Martin; Helbig, Andreas J; Knox, Alan G; Parkin, David T (2005). "Taxonomic recommendations for British birds: third report". Ibis . 147 (4): 821–826. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.2005.00483.x.[ dead link ]
  4. Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp.  122, 230. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.