African Blue Tit
Cyanistes teneriffae
Found in North Africa and the Canary Islands in woodlands and gardens. More intense indigo-blue on the back and crown than Eurasian Blue Tit without green tones and with a narrower pale eyestripe. Some subspecies lack the white wingbar. Varied repertoire of calls and extensive song variation between island subspecies.
Identification
The African blue tit ranges from 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in) in size. It is a small, sharp-billed, compact tit. The nominate race has a forehead and supercilium to centre of nape white, crown deep glossy blue, becoming blackish on the neck, with a blue dorsal and yellow ventral body. The song is a variable repetition of one or two notes.
Taxonomy
This species and the Eurasian blue tit were formerly considered conspecific.<p>Subspecies are:<p>Research published in 2007 found that African blue tits on the eastern Canary Islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote are indistinguishable from those in North Africa and so the subspecies degener should be regarded as a synonym of ultramarinus.
- Scientific name
- Cyanistes teneriffae
- Authority
- (Lesson, RP, 1831)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Paridae
- Genus
- Cyanistes
Range and habitat
The African blue tit prefers temperate forests, both low and high lying. Lowlands area preferred on Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, but populations on Tenerife and Gran Canaria prefer montane forests.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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