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.