Black-browed Tit - BirdForum Opus

Alternative names: Rufous-fronted Tit; Rufous-fronted Bushtit; Blyth's (Long-tailed) Tit; Himalayan Tit; Black-headed Tit

Subspecies A.i. iouschistos
Photo by Rajiv Lather
Bhutan, January 2008

Aegithalos iouschistos

Includes Rufous-fronted Tit and Burmese Tit

Identification

11cm.
Iouschistos:

• Tiny, fulvous tit
• Buffy cheek and silvery throat-patch
• Broad black mask
• Broad buff coronal stripe

ssp bonvaloti
Photo by James Eaton
Lijiang, Yunnan, China, May 2010

Bonvaloti:

• White coronal stripe, palar, upper breast and vent
• Smoky-grey chin
• Paler sides and white belly

Sharpei:

• Pattern very like White-throated Tit
• Buffy underparts
• More white on throat and head than bonvaloti

Juveniles are much paler but already have the broad crown-stripes.

Distribution

	Found from central Nepal east in a small band in the Himalayas to Bhutan and northeast India. In China in Sichuan and adjacent regions. Locally also in Burma (Mount Victoria and at northern boundary to China).
	Legend • A. iouschistos (Rufous-fronted Tit); year-round • A. bonvaloti and A. obscuratus (Black-browed Tit); year-round • A. sharpei (Burmese Tit); year-round Maps/Texts consulted1

Taxonomy

ssp sharpei
Photo by martinuk
Nat Ma Taung (Mount Victoria), Chin State, Myanmar, February 2011

Four subspecies accepted which are sometimes split in up to three species:

• A. i. iouschistos (Rufous-fronted Tit)
• A. i. bonvaloti and A. i. obscuratus (Black-browed Tit or Black-headed Tit or Bonvalot's Tit)
• A. sharpei from Mount Victoria (Burmese Tit or Myanmar Tit)

The three forms seem to be morphologically distinct and form a superspecies with White-throated Tit. No evidence of intergradiation or hybridization where ranges meet.

Habitat

Boreal forests and temperate forests, especially rhododendron zone and low scrubby deciduous trees.

Behaviour

Outside the breeding season found in flocks of 10 to 40 birds, foraging through all heights of forest.
Resident with some altitudinal movement in winter.

Diet

Feeds on insects, larvae, sometimes on vegetable matter.

Breeding

Breeds from April to July. The nest is a ball made of lichens and lined with feathers.

References

1. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2008. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 13: Penduline-tits to Shrikes. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553453
2. Rasmussen, PC and JC Anderton. 2005. Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334672

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Black-browed Tit. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Black-browed_Tit

External Links

Search for photos of Black-browed Tit in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.