White-winged Tit
Encyclopedia
The White-winged Tit sometimes called the White-naped Tit is a passerine
bird
in the tit
family Paridae. It is endemic to India
where it is found in dry thorn scrub forest in two disjunct populations, in western India and southern India. This species is hard to mistake with its contrasting black and white patterns without the grey wing coverts and back of the partly sympatric Cinereous Tit
(Parus cinereus). This species is very patchily distributed and has been considered to be vulnerable to extinction especially because of the scarcity of suitable habitats particularly nest cavities made by woodpeckers.
The only pied (black-and-white) tit in India, this species has the wing-coverts, crown, sides of head, chin, throat, a ventral band running down the breast and belly to the vent black. The cheeks below the eye, the ear-coverts and a patch on the nape are white. The wing has white on the outer primaries and the base of the secondaries. The last tertiaries are completely white. The two outer tail feathers are white while the next has the outer web white and the remaining black. The white of the flanks can be suffused with yellow.
by T C Jerdon
who received a specimen from a local hunter. A specimen was later obtained in 1863 from near Bangalore and for a long time the species was not observed anywhere in southern India. A O Hume
had suggested in that the two populations might represent different species. The southern population was subsequently noted when Salim Ali
collected specimens from the Biligirirangan Hills
. Several records were then reported from the nearby Kaveri valley area where Parus cinereus stupae is also found. Salim Ali had claimed that the two species were mutually exclusive, however there is no support for this. The distribution in western India is larger and better known, ranging mainly in areas of Kutch and extending into parts of Rajasthan. A specimen in the British Museum marked as being from Bootan (Bhutan) is considered to be in error. Records from Wynaad, Anshi National Park and Dharwad have also been considered doubtful.
s, which are used for nesting and roosting. Suggestions that the species might migrate from western to southern India have been made but have not found support and birds (including juveniles) have been seen in southern India during summer. Birds ringed in western India have been recaptured within a radius of 5 to 7 km. Breeding has not been studied in the southern population.
This species is said to have undergone a rapid population decline in the recent past. The habitat of dense Acacia scrub is severely degraded and fragmented in western India especially due to the collection of old branches with potential nest holes for firewood.
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the tit
Titmouse
The tits, chickadees, and titmice constitute Paridae, a large family of small passerine birds which occur in the northern hemisphere and Africa...
family Paridae. It is endemic to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
where it is found in dry thorn scrub forest in two disjunct populations, in western India and southern India. This species is hard to mistake with its contrasting black and white patterns without the grey wing coverts and back of the partly sympatric Cinereous Tit
Cinereous Tit
The Cinereous Tit is a species of bird in the tit family Paridae. This species is made up of several populations that were earlier treated as subspecies of the Great Tit . These birds are grey backed with white undersides. The Great Tit in the new sense is distinguishable by the greenish-back and...
(Parus cinereus). This species is very patchily distributed and has been considered to be vulnerable to extinction especially because of the scarcity of suitable habitats particularly nest cavities made by woodpeckers.
Description
Distribution and habitat
This species was discovered in the Eastern Ghats near NelloreNellore
Nellore , is a city and headquarters of Potti Sri Ramulu Nellore District, formerly Nellore district.And in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Ancient name of Nellore was "Vikrama Simhapuri"....
by T C Jerdon
Thomas C. Jerdon
Thomas Caverhill Jerdon was a British physician, zoologist and botanist. He is best remembered for his pioneering works on the ornithology of India...
who received a specimen from a local hunter. A specimen was later obtained in 1863 from near Bangalore and for a long time the species was not observed anywhere in southern India. A O Hume
Allan Octavian Hume
Allan Octavian Hume was a civil servant, political reformer and amateur ornithologist in British India. He was one of the founders of the Indian National Congress, a political party that was later to lead the Indian independence movement...
had suggested in that the two populations might represent different species. The southern population was subsequently noted when Salim Ali
Salim Ali (ornithologist)
Sálim Moizuddin Abdul Ali was an Indian ornithologist and naturalist. Known as the "birdman of India", Salim Ali was among the first Indians to conduct systematic bird surveys across India and his bird books helped develop ornithology...
collected specimens from the Biligirirangan Hills
Biligirirangan Hills
The Biligiriranga Hills, commonly called B R Hills, is a hill range situated in south-eastern Karnataka, at its border with Tamil Nadu in South India. The area is called Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary or simply BRT Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a protected reserve under the Wildlife...
. Several records were then reported from the nearby Kaveri valley area where Parus cinereus stupae is also found. Salim Ali had claimed that the two species were mutually exclusive, however there is no support for this. The distribution in western India is larger and better known, ranging mainly in areas of Kutch and extending into parts of Rajasthan. A specimen in the British Museum marked as being from Bootan (Bhutan) is considered to be in error. Records from Wynaad, Anshi National Park and Dharwad have also been considered doubtful.
Behaviour and ecology
These birds are believed to live at very low densities in small numbers. They are shy and are best detected by their calls which have been described as musical whistling notes tee-whi-whi or see pit-pit-pit-pit. They however appear to show high fidelity to favoured sites. Some roost hollows have been observed to have been known to have been used for more than six years. The birds feed on insects and the berries of Salvadora oleiodes. They may also obtain nectar from the flowers of Capparis aphylla and will sometimes visit rainwater puddles to drink. The breeding season is after the Monsoons, from May to August. The nest is a pad of fibre and hair placed inside a cavity typically on a tree. The clutch size is not known but adults with three young have been observed. The female develops a brood-patch and it is not known if the male incubates. Both parents take part in care of the chicks. The chicks are fed mainly with non-hairy caterpillars, the parents may bring food as late as 2000 Hrs in the evening. It is said to be dependent on old woodpeckers nest holes, especially those made by Yellow-crowned WoodpeckerYellow-crowned Woodpecker
The Yellow-crowned Woodpecker Dendrocopos mahrattensis or Mahratta woodpecker is a species of small pied woodpecker found in South Asia.-Description:...
s, which are used for nesting and roosting. Suggestions that the species might migrate from western to southern India have been made but have not found support and birds (including juveniles) have been seen in southern India during summer. Birds ringed in western India have been recaptured within a radius of 5 to 7 km. Breeding has not been studied in the southern population.
This species is said to have undergone a rapid population decline in the recent past. The habitat of dense Acacia scrub is severely degraded and fragmented in western India especially due to the collection of old branches with potential nest holes for firewood.