Alternative names: White-cheeked Bushtit; White-cheeked Long-tailed Tit; Kashmir Tit
- Aegithalos leucogenys
Identification
11cm (4¼ in)
- Typical shape of a long-tailed tit
- Medium-long tail
- Black bib and white cheek patch
- Forehead and crown cinnamon-brown
- Upperparts greyish-olive
- Breast and flanks pale pinkish-buff
Juveniles are paler and greyer overall and have a whitish forecrown.
Distribution
Found in northeast Afghanistan and in Pakistan. Records from India seem doubtful.
Locally common.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species.
Habitat
Open dry scrubby forest, tamarisk bushes and thorn scrub.
Behaviour
Diet
Feeds on insects and spiders. Forages in flocks but is not as gregarious as other long-tailed tits.
Breeding
Breeding season from March to May. The nest, an upright oval ball, is woven from grass, moss and vegetable fibres, bound with spider web and lined with feathers. It's placed in a bush some 1 to 3.5 m above the ground. 5 to 8 white eggs are laid.
Movements
Resident species with some altitudinal movement.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- 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
- Rasmussen, PC and JC Anderton. 2005. Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8487334672
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) White-cheeked Tit. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-cheeked_Tit
