White-winged Black-Tit
Melaniparus leucomelas
A black tit with a mostly white wing and a white outer tail. Found in moister types of savanna, both broadleaf and thorny. Usually in pairs or small groups which are loud and conspicuous. Call is a classic tit “chee-chi-chi-chi-chi,” raspy and often repeated. The song consists of wispy, musical, up-and-down whistles. Very similar to White-shouldered Black-Tit, and best separated by the dark, rather than yellow, eyes.
Identification
It is mainly black with a white wing patch, but differs from the more northern white-shouldered tit (Melaniparus guineensis) with which it sometimes considered conspecific in that it has a dark eye.
Taxonomy
The white-winged black tit was formerly one of the many species in the genus Parus but was moved to Melaniparus after a molecular phylogenetic analysis published in 2013 showed that the members of the new genus formed a distinct clade.
- Scientific name
- Melaniparus leucomelas
- Authority
- (Rüppell, 1840)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Paridae
- Genus
- Melaniparus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Cantorchilus zeledoni
Small, skulking wren of foothills and lowlands along the Caribbean slope from Nicaragua south to western Panama. Found in forest edges, second-growth thickets, and brushy fields with cane grass. Heard more often than seen: song relatively short with bright phrases usually repeated a few times in quick succession. Note the bold white eyebrow, whitish breast, rich buffy flanks, and bright rusty tail barred black. Formerly known as Plain Wren.
Great Tit
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Conspicuous inhabitant of woods, forests, parks, gardens, and hedges in farmland. Often visits bird feeders and uses nest boxes. Plumage is distinctive, with white cheeks surrounded by a black cap and bib. Male has a broader black stripe down belly than the female, and the juvenile (seen in summer–early autumn) has yellowish wash to face and drabber plumage overall. Underparts are bright yellow throughout much of range, but “Turkestan Tit” of Central Asia has a white belly. Appreciably larger and more boldly patterned than Eurasian Blue Tit, which often occurs alongside it. Listen for its distinctive high-pitched up-and-down song: “tsee-dee-tsee-dee-tsee-dee” and chattering scolds.
Dark-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus melacoryphus
Brownish above and buff bellow with a black bill, black bandit mask, and gray crown. The eyering is yellowish and the eyes dark. The tail is long and black with large white spots when seen from below. Found in woodlands, second growth, forest edges, plantations, riparian forests, and mangroves. The voice is a low, deep and descending “cowl-cowl-cowl.”
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