Ashy tit

Parus cinerascens

Photo by Matt Muir (iNaturalist)

Common name:
ashy tit (en); chapim-cinzento (pt); mésange cendrée (fr); carbonero cinéreo (es); akazienmeise (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Paridae

Range:
This species is found from southern Angola and Zimbabwe south to central South Africa.

Size:
These birds are 14,5-15 cm long and weigh 18,5-22 g.

Habitat:
The ashy tit is mostly found in dry Acacia savannas, particularly Acacia erioloba, also using dry scrublands and dry tropical forests. They occur at altitudes of 275-1.880 m.

Diet:
They feed on various small invertebrates, including caterpillars, beetles, ants, flies and spiders, but also take some fruits and seeds.

Breeding:

Ashy tits are monogamous and breed in September-April. The nest is a thick pad made of animal hair and fine plant fibres, usually placed in either a natural tree cavity or an old barbet or woodpecker nest. There the female lays 3-6 eggs, which she incubates alone for 14-15 days while the male brings her food. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 20-22 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common to fairly common. The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Yellow-bellied tit

Parus venustulus

Photo by Tom Beeke (Oriental Bird Images)

Common name:
yellow-bellied tit (en); chapim-de-barriga-amarela (pt); mésange gracieuse (fr); carbonero ventrigualdo (es); schmuckmeise (de)

Taxonomy:
Order passeriformes
Family Paridae

Range:
This species is endemic to China, being found in the eastern parts of the country from Liaoning in the north to Guangdong and Sichuan in the south.

Size:
These birds are 10-11 cm long and weigh 9-12,5 g.

Habitat:
The yellow-bellied tit is found in tropical and temperate forests, including broadleaf subtropical and evergreen forests, mixed conifer and deciduous forests. They also use arable land and occur at altitudes of 350-3.050 m.

Diet:
They feed on small invertebrates and larvae, seeds and small fruits.

Breeding:
Yellow-bellied tits breed in May-July. They nest in natural tree cavities lined with green moss, leaves, plant fibres, wool and animal hair. The female lays 5-7 eggs which are incubated for 12 days. The chicks fledge 16-17 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described and, although the global population size has not been quantified, it is reported to be locally common. The population is suspected to be in decline owing to ongoing habitat destruction.

Black-capped chickadee

Poecile atricapillus

Photo by Guy Poisson (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
black-capped chickadee (en); chapim-de-barrete-preto (pt); mésange à tête noire (fr); carbonero cabecinegro (es); schwarzkopfmeise (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Paridae

Range:
The black-capped chickadee is a resident species in Canada and the northern United States, from Alaska, though southern Yukon and the Northwest Territories, and into Ontario and Quebec, and as far south as Oregon, northern Colorado, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Outside the breeding season there are some southward movements within this range.

Size:
These birds are 12-15 cm long and have a wingspan of 16-21 cm. They weigh 9-14 g.

Habitat:
This species is found in deciduous and mixed forests, mostly in temperate areas but also boreal forests. They also use willow thickets, cottonwood groves, rural gardens and urban areas. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 3.200 m.

Diet:
During spring and summer they feed mainly on insects and spiders, especially caterpillars. During the rest of the year they take both invertebrates and also seeds, berries and other plant material. They are also known to eat carrion, such as dead deer, skunk fat and dead fishes.

Breeding:
Black-capped chickadees breed in April-July. Both sexes excavate the nest cavity on a dead or rotten branch, but they also use natural cavities, abandoned downy woodpecker Picoides pubescens nests and nest boxes. Inside the cavity the female builds a nest cup made of moss and other coarse materials, lining it with soft materials such as rabbit fur. The female lays up to 13 white eggs with fine reddish-brown dots or spots, which she incubates alone for 11-14 days while the male brings her food. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 12-16 days after hatching, but continue to receive food from the parents for several weeks. Each pair usually raises a single brood per year and the young reach sexual maturity after 1 year.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 34 million individuals. The population has undergone a large increase of 16% per decade over the last 4 decades.

Azure tit

Cyanistes cyanus

Photo by Krzysztof Blachowiak (Internet Bird Collection)

Common name:
azure tit (en); chapim-de-cabeça-branca (pt); mésange azurée (fr); herrerillo azul (es); lasurmeise (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Paridae

Range:
This species is found from eastern Poland and Finland, through western and southern Russia, and into Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, north-western China and Mongolia.

Size:
These birds are 12-13 cm long and weigh 8-10 g.

Habitat:
The azure tit is mostly found in temperate and sub-Arctic deciduous and mixed forests, scrublands and marshes, and also in high altitude scrublands, agricultural areas and even in tropical swamp forests on the southernmost parts of their range. It is present from sea level up to an altitude of 2.500 m.

Diet:
During spring and summer they feed on insects and other invertebrates, while during the rest of the year they feed mostly on seeds, nuts and berries.

Breeding:
Azure tits nest in a hole in a tree or wall, where the female lays about 10, but up to 15 eggs in favourable habitat. The eggs are white with with reddish-brown spots and are incubated for 13-14 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 17-20 days after hatching.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common and widespread.
The population is suspected to be stable in the absence of evidence for any declines or substantial threats.

Tufted titmouse

Baelophus bicolor

Photo by Dick Daniels (Carolina Birds)

Common name:
tufted titmouse (en); chapim-bicolor (pt); mésange bicolore (fr); herrerillo bicolor (es); indianermeise (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Paridae

Range:
This species is found throughout the eastern United States, from Michigan to New Hampshire and south to Florida, Louisiana and eastern Texas. They are also found in Canada, in southern Ontario.

Size:
These birds are 14-16 cm long and have a wingspan of 20-26 cm. They weigh 18-26 g.

Habitat:
The tufted titmouse is found in mostly deciduous and mixed deciduous-evergreen forests, as well as in swamp forests, typically in areas with a dense canopy and many tree species. They are also found in scrublands, orchards, parks, and suburban areas, from sea level up to an altitude of 600 m.

Diet:
During the spring and summer they mainly eat invertebrates, such as caterpillars, beetles, wasps, ants, bees, stink bugs, treehoppers, spiders and snails. During the rest of the year they also eat fruits, berries, seeds, nuts and acorns, being known to hoard food, storing many of the seeds they get in tree holes.

Breeding:
Tufted titmice breed in March-June. They nest in tree cavities, using either natural cavities or old woodpecker nests, which they line with soft materials such as hair, fur, wool, and cotton. The nest is usually high in the trees, up to 30 m above the ground. The female lays 3-9 white to creamy white eggs with brown, purple, or lilac spots. The eggs are incubated by the female for 12-14 days while the male brings her food. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 15-16 days after hatching, but only become fully independent several weeks later. Each pair may raise 1-2 broods per season.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and a global population estimated at 12 million individuals. The population has undergone a small increase over the last 4 decades and is expanding its range northward, possibly due to warming climate, reversion of farmlands to forests, and the growing popularity of backyard bird feeders.

White-naped tit

Parus nuchalis

Photo by Arpit Deomurari (Avian Diversity)

Common name:
white-naped tit (en); chapim-d'asa-branca (pt); mésange à ailes blanches (fr); carbonero nuquiblanco (es); weißflügelmeise (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Paridae


Range:
This species is endemic to India, where it occurs in two isolated populations. One in the north-west of the country, in central and southern Rajasthan, Kutch and northern Gujarat, and another in the south, in the Eastern Ghats of southern Andhra Pradesh, northern Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.


Size:
These birds are 12-13 cm long and weigh 13-14,5 g.


Habitat:
The white-naped tit is mostly found in dry thorn-scrub forests, mainly Acacia. They also use deciduous woodlands, gardens and orchards and even river beds and irrigated crops. They occur from sea level up to an altitude of 700 m.


Diet:
They mainly feed on insects and berries, but are also known to eat nectar.


Breeding:
White-naped tits breed in May-October. They nest in tree cavities, often in old woodpecker nests, which they line with plant fibres, down, animal hair and wool. The nest is usually 2-5 m above the ground. The female lays 3-6 eggs, which are incubated for 12 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 12-14 days after hatching, but continue to be fed for at least another 6-7 days.


Conservation:
IUCN status - VU (Vulnerable)
This species has a restricted and fragmented breeding range and the global population is estimated at just 2.500-10.000 individuals. The population is suspected to be declining rapidly as a result of habitat loss and degradation through wood-cutting for fuel wood and illegal charcoal making, clearance for agriculture and settlement construction, and over-grazing. Mining activities and the spread of exotic scrubs such as Prosopis glandulosa and P. chilensis may also have negative impacts on this species.

Great tit

Parus major

Photo by Slawomir Staszczuk (Wikipedia)

Common name:
great tit (en); chapim-real (pt); mésange charbonnière (fr); carbonero común (es); kohlmeise (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Paridae


Range:
The great tit is found throughout continental Europe and the British isles, as well as in northern Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Their range extends into Turkey and the Middle East all the way to central Iran, and along southern Russia, through northern Kazakhstan and Mongolia, and into north-eastern China.


Size:
These birds are 12,5-15 cm long and have a wingspan of 22-25,5 cm. They weigh around 20 g.


Habitat:
Great tits occupy a wide range of habitats including open deciduous woodlands, mixed forests, forest edges, boreal forests, grasslands, dry scrublands, mangroves, temperate deserts, arable land, plantations, rural gardens and urban areas. They have been recorded from sea level up to an altitude of 4.400 m.


Diet:
During spring and summer they are mostly carnivorous. Their main prey are caterpillars, but they take a wide range of invertebrates including cockroaches, grasshoppers and crickets, lacewings, earwigs, bugs, ants, flies, caddis flies, beetles, scorpion flies, woodlice, harvestmen, bees and wasps, snails and woodlice. During autumn and winter, when invertebrate abundance declines, they mostly eat seeds, berries and fruits. Great tits are even known to occasionally kill and eat small birds and bats.


Breeding:
Great tits breed in March-July. The nest is built in a tree-hole, nest-box or in other man-made structures, consisting of moss, dry grasses and other plant materials lined with hair, wool and feathers. The female lays 5-12 white eggs with reddish spots, which she incubates alone for 12-15 days while being fed by the male. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 16-22 days later, but continue to receive food for another 3-4 weeks, or even longer in the case of the second brood. Each pair raises 1-2 broods per year.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and a global population estimated at 300-1.100 million individuals. The population is estimated to be increasing following recorded range expansions, although moderate declines have been recorded in several European countries during the last 3 decades.

Crested tit

Lophophanes cristatus

Photo by Mark Medcalf (Wikipedia)

Common name:

crested tit (en); chapim-de-poupa (en); mésange huppée (fr); herrerillo capuchino (es); haubenmeise (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Paridae

Range:

This European species is found from Portugal and Spain, throughout most of Europe, as far north as northern Scandinavia and has far east as the Urals in western Russia. The south-eastern edge of its distribution lays along the mountains of Greece, Bulgaria and southern Ukraine.

Size:

The crested tit is 11-12 cm long and has a wingspan of 18 cm. They weigh 10,5-12 g.

Habitat:

They are mostly found in temperate coniferous ans mixed forests. They are also present in boreal coniferous forests, Mediterranean woodlands and scrublands as well as in gardens and parks.

Diet:

Crested tits mostly eat insects, caterpillars and spiders, but in winter they will also eat plant material, namely conifer seeds.

Breeding:

These birds breed in March-June. They nest in a hole in decaying or dead tree trunk, sometimes using old woodpecker nests. there the female lays 5-6 eggs which she incubates alone for 13-16 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 20-25 days after hatching, but continue to depend on their parents for food for another 3-4 weeks. Each pair may produce 1-2 clutches per year.

Conservation:

IUCN status- LC (Least Concern)

The crested tit has a very large breeding range and a global population of 8,6-32,3 million individuals. The population has undergone a moderate decline over the last three decades, mostly due to changes in forestry practices, but the species has also expanded its range in some regions due to the increase and spread of commercial conifer plantations.

Blue tit

Cyanistes caeruleus

(Photo from Wallpaper Pond)

Common name:

blue tit (en); chapim-azul (pt); mésange bleue (fr); herrerillo común (es); blaumeise (de)

Taxonomy:

Order Passeriformes

Family Paridae

Range:

The blue tit is widely distributed in Europe, from Scandinavia in the north down to the Mediterranean and from the British Islands in the west all the way to the Urals in Russian. They are also present in northwest Africa and the Canary Islands, and in the Near East, through Turkey and the Caucasus, and all the way to northwestern Iran.

Size:

This small passerine is 10,5-12 cm long. They have a wingspan of 18 cm and weigh 11 g.

Habitat:

The blue tit uses a wide range of habitats. They are most frequently found in deciduous woodland, in pasture farmland, and in gardens and parks within villages and towns. They can also be found in scrubland and arable farmland, and even in vegetated coastal and inland wetlands.

Diet:

In the spring and summer they are mostly carnivorous, eating spiders and insects, including several agricultural pests like coccids and aphids. In the winter they mostly eat fruits and berries.

Breeding:

The blue tit will nest in any suitable hole in a tree, wall, or stump, or an artificial nest box. In April-May they lay 8-10 eggs, which are incubated for 13-15 days by the female. The altricial chicks fledge after 18-21 days. Blue tits start breeding at 1 year of age and produce 1 to 2 broods per year.

Conservation:

IUCN status - LC (Least concern)

The blue tit population is estimated at 10 million and believed to be increasing. The already large breeding range is also increasing, both justifying that the species is not considered threatened at present.