Titmouse
| Tits and Chickadees | ||||||||||
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Marsh Tit | ||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||
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The tits and chickadees, Paridae, are a large family of small passerine birds which occur in the northern hemisphere and Africa. Most were formerly in the genus Parus, although recent trends have been to split this large group.
These birds are called "chickadees" or "titmice" in North America, and just "tits" in the rest of the English speaking world.
These are mainly small stocky woodland species with short stout bills. Some have crests. They are adaptable birds which have a mixed diet including seeds and insects. Many species will live around human habitation and come readily to bird feeders for nuts or seed, and learn to take other foods.
These are hole-nesting birds laying speckled white eggs.
In the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, the Paridae family is much enlarged to include related groups such as the penduline tits and Long-tailed tits.
Species are:
- Sombre Tit, Poecile lugubris
- Marsh Tit, Poecile palustris
- Black-bibbed Tit, Poecile hypermelaena
- Caspian Tit, Poecile hyrcana
- Willow Tit, Poecile montana
- Songar Tit, Poecile songara
- Carolina Chickadee, Poecile carolinensis
- Black-capped Chickadee, Poecile atricapilla
- Mountain Chickadee, Poecile gambeli
- Mexican Chickadee, Poecile sclateri
- White-browed Tit, Poecile superciliosa
- Pere David's Tit, Poecile davidi
- Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Poecile rufescens
- Boreal Chickadee, Poecile hudsonica
- Gray-headed Chickadee, Poecile cincta
- Coal Tit, Periparus ater
- Black-breasted Tit, Periparus rufonuchalis
- Rufous-vented Tit, Periparus rubidiventris
- Black-crested Tit, Periparus melanolophus
- Yellow-bellied Tit, Pardaliparus venustulus
- Elegant Tit, Pardaliparus elegans
- Palawan Tit, Pardaliparus amabilis
- Crested Tit, Lophophanes cristatus
- Gray-crested Tit, Lophophanes dichrous
- White-winged Black-Tit, Melaniparus leucomelas
- Southern Black-Tit, Melaniparus niger
- Carp's Tit, Melaniparus carpi
- White-bellied Tit, Melaniparus albiventris
- White-backed Black-Tit, Melaniparus leuconotus
- Rufous-bellied Tit, Melaniparus rufiventris
- Dusky Tit, Melaniparus funereus
- Red-throated Tit, Melaniparus fringillinus
- Stripe-breasted Tit, Melaniparus fasciiventer
- Somali Tit, Melaniparus thruppi
- Miombo Tit, Melaniparus griseiventris
- Ashy Tit, Melaniparus cinerascens
- Gray Tit, Melaniparus afer
- Great Tit, Parus major
- Turkestan Tit, Parus bokharensis
- Green-backed Tit, Parus monticolus
- White-winged Tit, Parus nuchalis
- Black-lored Tit, Parus xanthogenys
- Yellow-cheeked Tit, Parus spilonotus
- Yellow Tit, Macholophus holsti
- Blue Tit, Cyanistes caeruleus
- Azure Tit, Cyanistes cyanus
- Yellow-breasted Tit, Cyanistes flavipectus
- White-fronted Tit, Sittiparus semilarvatus
- Varied Tit, Sittiparus varius
- Bridled Titmouse, Baeolophus wollweberi
- Oak Titmouse, Baeolophus inornatus
- Juniper Titmouse, Baeolophus ridgwayi
- Tufted Titmouse, Baeolophus bicolor
- Yellow-browed Tit, Sylviparus modestus
- Sultan Tit, Melanochlora sultanea
- Hume's Ground Jay, Pseudopodoces humilis (This species has only recently been removed from the Crow family Corvidae and placed into the Tit family.)
