White-backed Black-Tit
Melaniparus leuconotus
An unusual tit that is mostly black with a pale back. Males have a bright white back and females and immatures a buff-colored one. Found in montane forest and woodland, usually in pairs or small groups, and readily joins mixed flocks. Similar to White-shouldered Black-Tit, but easily separated by the white back and black wing. The calls are typical of tits, but softer and gentler, including high-pitched “sit” notes and scratchy notes. Song is highly variable, but often contains repeated phrases of musical whistles.
Identification
The white-backed black tit (Melaniparus leuconotus), also known as the white-backed tit, is a species of bird in the family Paridae. It is found in Eritrea and Ethiopia. Its natural habitat is boreal forests. The white-backed 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.
Taxonomy
Genus: Melaniparus; Family: Paridae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Melaniparus leuconotus
- Authority
- (Guérin-Méneville, 1843)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Paridae
- Genus
- Melaniparus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Black-throated Coucal
Centropus leucogaster
A large forest coucal with a black throat and chest and a white belly. Western populations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and extreme western Uganda are sometimes separated as Neumann’s Coucal based on their smaller size, but look very similar to eastern Black-throated Coucal populations. The similar Gabon Coucal, which has a rufous belly, replaces Black-throated in Central African forests. Black-throated typically gives a deep, bubbling, booming call series of up to 20 notes that fall and then rise in pitch. This call can be heard day or night.
Great-billed Heron
Ardea sumatrana
Large plain heron. Dark gray overall with a paler, more brownish neck. Lacks the black head and neck markings of the slightly smaller Gray Heron. Tends to be solitary, only rarely seen in small flocks. Typically restricted to the coast, where it inhabits mangroves, lagoons, and offshore islands, but infrequently seen inland. Rather vocal for a heron, often giving a deep, horrifically resonant roar when flushed or on the nest.
Black-bellied Seedeater
Sporophila melanogaster
A distinctive, small finchlike species. Males are gray above and black below with black edges to the wing feathers. Females are olive-brown above and buff below. Both sexes have white wing spots. Inhabits mature grasslands, normally near water, where they can be seen in flocks with others seedeaters during migration.
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