English: Black-lored Tit

(Machlolophus xanthogenys)

Scientific classification

Order: Passeriformes Family: Paridae Subfamily: Parus Species: xanthogenys

Appearance

• Small bird with generally yellow and black plumage
• Prominent black crest, black eyeline and black throat
• Size: about 15 cm

Habitat Forest Areas, Greenery Trees, Nectar plants Countries Asia Bhutan China India Nepal

This species is a resident breeder on the Indian subcontinent. It is a common bird in open tropical forests, but does not occur in Sri Lanka. It is an active and agile feeder, taking insects and spiders from the canopy, and sometimes fruit. It is an easy tit to recognize in most of India, large in size at 13 cm, with a broad black line (broader in the male) down its otherwise yellow front. The large crest, neck, throat and head are black with yellow cheeks and super cilia. Upper parts are olive-green. It has two white or yellowish wing bars and white outer tail feathers. Females and young birds are duller than males. The under part color becomes increasingly dull from north to south through this tit's range.

It is, like other tits, a vocal bird, and has a large variety of calls, of which the most familiar is a si-si. The song is a sometimes nuthatch-like chi-chi-chi. Woodpecker or barbet holes are used for a nest, and this species will also excavate its own hole or use man-made sites. The clutch is typically 3-5 white eggs, spotted red. The bird is a close sitter, hissing when disturbed.