Iriomote Tit
Sittiparus olivaceus
Reddish-brown songbird with a black crown and throat and olive-gray wings. Resident in broadleaf evergreen forests, especially in higher elevations, but poorly known. Endemic to Iriomote and Ishigaki Islands, in the southern Ryukyu Islands. Formerly considered conspecific with Varied Tit, and plumage intermediate between Varied Tit and Owston’s Tit, but neither has Iriomote’s olive wash on wings. Song resembles Japanese Tit, and nasal call recalls Varied Tit but drier.
Identification
The Iriomote tit (Sittiparus olivaceus) is a small passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is endemic to the Yaeyama Islands which lie to the south west of Japan and to the east of Taiwan. Iriomote is the name of the largest island in the group. The Iriomote tit was first described by the Japanese ornithologist Nagamichi Kuroda in 1923 and given the trinomial name Sittiparus varius olivaceus. It was formerly considered as subspecies of the varied tit but after the publication of a phylogenetic study in 2014 it was promoted to species status. The species differs from the varied tit in having a washed olive colouring on the back.
Taxonomy
Genus: Sittiparus; Family: Paridae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Sittiparus olivaceus
- Authority
- Kuroda, Nm, 1923
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Paridae
- Genus
- Sittiparus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Black-headed Hemispingus
Pseudospingus verticalis
A unique little songbird found in the temperate zone of the Andes from extreme western Venezuela to northern Peru. Not bright, but distinctively patterned with a black head, a buffy central crown stripe, staring pale eyes, and a gray body. Pairs or small flocks forage through shrubby forests and edges, often perching on the tops of bushes. Follows mixed-species flocks. Occurs from around 2,700 to 3,400 m.
Rufous-capped Babbler
Cyanoderma ruficeps
Medium-sized songbird, dark olive above, dusky yellowish below, with a yellow face and rufous crown. Moves about low in dense bushy vegetation or bamboo in pairs or flocks, often with other species. Song, a series of clear, descending, bell-like whistles, easily imitated; chatters nasally when alarmed.
Splendid Astrapia
Astrapia splendidissima
A long-tailed bird of montane forest. Black back and white base to the upper tail, more extensive in the male. Male has iridescent blue-green underparts, head and bib with rufous breast band and thin, rufous stripe down the side of the neck. Female has a black head and a barred belly. Feeds on fruit and searches for insects on mossy branches and epiphytes. Range of Ribbon-tailed Astrapia may just meet, but Splendid Astrapia female has white in the base of the upper tail. Call, a clicking sound.
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