Caspian tit

The Caspian tit (Poecile hyrcanus) is a passerine bird in the tit family. It breeds in the deciduous mountain forests of northern Iran, just extending into Azerbaijan.

Caspian tit
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Paridae
Genus:	Poecile
Species:	P. hyrcanus
Binomial name
Poecile hyrcanus Zarudny & Loudon, 1905
Synonyms
Parus hyrcanus

The 12.5 cm (4.9 in) long Caspian tit has a dark brown cap and bib, rich brown upperparts and underparts which are pinkish-buff when fresh, but become paler and greyer as the feathers age. The sexes are similar, but juveniles are somewhat duller. The most common call of this generally quiet bird is a thin zsit, but a nasal double note, chev chev, is also given.

Both sexes excavate the nesting hole in a live or a rotten tree.^[2] Most nests examined are cups of felted material, such as fur, hair and wood chips, but feathers are sometimes used. The number of eggs varies from five to seven, white with faint reddish spots or blotches. It feeds on caterpillars, insects and seeds, much like other tits.

Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that the Caspian tit is sister to the willow tit (Poecile montanus).^[3][4]

References

1. BirdLife International (2016). "Poecile hyrcanus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T103761508A104117340. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T103761508A104117340.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
2. del Hoyo, J.; Collar, N.; Kirwan, G.M. (2020). del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). "Caspian Tit (Poecile hyrcanus)". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
3. Johansson, Ulf S.; Ekman, Jan; Bowie, Rauri C. K.; Halvarsson, Peter; Ohlson, Jan I.; Price, Trevor D.; Ericson, Per G. P. (2013). "A complete multilocus species phylogeny of the tits and chickadees (Aves: Paridae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 69 (3): 852–860. Bibcode:2013MolPE..69..852J. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.06.019. PMID 23831453.
4. Tritsch, Christian; Martens, Jochen; Sun, Yue-Hua; Heim, Wieland; Strutzenberger, Patrick; Päckert, Martin (2017). "Improved sampling at the subspecies level solves a taxonomic dilemma – A case study of two enigmatic Chinese tit species (Aves, Passeriformes, Paridae, Poecile)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 107: 538–550. Bibcode:2017MolPE.107..538T. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.12.014. PMID 27965081.

• Harrap, S., & Quinn, D. (1996). Tits, Nuthatches and Treecreepers. Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-3964-4