Titmouse

From Free net encyclopedia

{{Taxobox | color = pink | name = Tits and Chickadees | image = Parus major 4 (Marek Szczepanek).jpg | image_width = 250px | image_caption = Great Tit | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Aves | ordo = Passeriformes | familia = Paridae | familia_authority = Vigors, 1825 | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = See text. }}

The tits, chickadees, and titmice, family Paridae, are a large family of small passerine birds which occur in the northern hemisphere and Africa. Most were formerly in the genus Parus; some recent authors have split this large group into several genera (as indicated below), which has been followed by North American ornithological authorities but not elsewhere.

On current evidence, only Pseudopodoces, Baeolophus, Melanochlora and Sylviparus are well supported as distinct genera from Parus (Harrap & Quinn, Tits, Nuthatches & Treecreepers, ISBN 0-7136-3964-4). The order in the list below follows Harrap & Quinn, with the incorporation of the recent split of Plain Titmouse into Oak and Juniper Titmice, and the addition of Hume's Ground Tit.

These birds are called "chickadees" (derived from their distinctive "chick-a dee dee dee" alarm call) or "titmice" in North America, and just "tits" in the rest of the English speaking world. The name titmouse is attested from the 14th century, composed of the Old English name for the bird, mase (Proto-Germanic *maison) and tit, denoting something small. The spelling was influenced by mouse in the 16th century. "Chickadee" is onomatopoeic, i.e., sounds like the call of many North American species.

These are mainly small stocky woodland species with short stout bills. Some have crests. They are adaptable birds, with 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. In England, Great Tits and Blue Tits learned to break open the foil caps sealing bottles of milk that had been delivered to homes to get at the cream floating on top.

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.

[edit]

Species

  • Hume's Ground Tit, previously Hume's Ground Jay, Pseudopodoces humilis
    (This species has only recently been removed from the Crow family Corvidae and placed into the Tit family.)
[edit]

External links

cy:Titw de:Meisen eo:Parida familio fr:Paridae fy:Wâldmies io:Paruo it:Paridae ka:წივწივასებრნი lb:Meesen lt:Zyliniai nl:Echte mezen ja:カラ類 no:Meisefamilien nn:Meisefamilien pt:Paridae ru:Синица sv:Mesfåglar tr:Baştankara uk:Синиця zh:山雀科

Retrieved from "http://www.netipedia.com/index.php/Titmouse"