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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